Elicitation with Multi-walled carbon nanotubes during micropropagation in a transformed line of Stevia rebaudiana

Abstract

This study is about the use of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) during shoot multiplication and rooting of transgenic Stevia rebaudiana grown in vitro. The experimental study was conducted using 3, 5 and 10 ppm of MWCNTs for shoot multiplication and rooting. During shoot multiplication, MWCNTs demonstrated improvements in biomass production, leaf length and leaf morphology at a concentration of 10 ppm of MWCNTs. MWCNTs also improved rooting, with 100% rooting frequency at 3 ppm concentration of MWCNTs. At a concentration of 3 ppm of MWCNTs, seedling length and fresh weight increased by 1.5- and 2.6-fold compared to the control, reaching 1.56 cm and 40.65 mg, respectively. Furthermore, at a concentration of 5 ppm of MWCNTs, rebaudioside A and stevioside contents increased by 0.7- and 1.8-fold in seedlings compared to the control, respectively (10.19 mgReb A/gFW y 3.49 mgSte/gFW). At 10 ppm MWCNTs, phenolic compounds increased 0.9-fold compared to the control (10.11 mgCat/gps). This study describes the first analysis of the use of MWCNTs in in vitro cultures of transgenic S. rebaudiana plantlets, demonstrating their effect on plant physiology and the accumulation of steviol glycosides and phenolic compounds.