Stevioside and rebaudioside A production in treated hairy root culture of Stevia rebaudiana with elicitors

Stevia rebaudiana is an important medicinal plant that is used by people with diabetes because of its steviol glycosides such as stevioside and rebaudioside A. Considering the limitation of seed production in this plant and the time-consuming nature of its propagation by stem cuttings, the use of a hairy root culture can be a suitable strategy for the production of these compounds. In this study, after the production of hairy roots by Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain ATCC15834 and their proliferation, different concentrations of methyl jasmonate (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 µM) and salicylic acid (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 mg/L) were applied and sampling was done at different times (24, 48, 72, and 96 h). The use of 100 μM methyl jasmonate for 48 h resulted in the accumulation of 47.31 mg/g DW, the production of 134.30 mg/L stevioside, the accumulation of 45.11 mg/g DW, and the production of 128.41 mg/L rebaudioside A and the use of 200 μM caused the accumulation of 45.56 mg/g DW and production of 120.47 mg/L rebaudioside A. While, among the different concentrations of salicylic acid, only the use of 90 mg/L for 72 h increased the accumulation of rebaudioside A (68.36 mg/g DW), and the other concentrations had a negative effect on the accumulation and production of stevioside and rebaudioside A. In conclusion, these findings showed that methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid can inhibit the growth of hairy roots and instead enhance the accumulation and production of stevioside and rebaudioside A.