IN VITRO APPROACHES ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROLIFERATIVE GROWTH OF INDUCING CALLUS FROM SOMATIC EXPLANTS OF HOT CHILI PEPPER (C. ANNUUM L. CV. PINTEA AND THE CV. DE CAYENNE)

Starting from the fact that synthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites can be stimulated by in vitro cell culture from somatic tissues, the purpose of this study was to obtain biologically active substances from callus cell proliferation of varieties of hot chili pepper, like Pintea and De Cayenne genotype (C. annuum L.). Somatic explants taken after 21 days from the regenerated plantlets from germinated seeds in aseptic in vitro conditions, like hypocotyls, cotyledons, young leaves and apex were inoculated on several variants of hormonal combinations, added to the recipe of basal Murashige and Skoog (1962) culture medium. For the tested variants we used phytohormones, like auxins (NAA and 2.4-D) and cytokinins (kinetin) in concentrations ranging from 0.5 mg/L for kinetin and 0.3-1.0 mg/L for NAA and 2.4 D. The best results on the active growth of callus, were obtained for Pintea variety when there were utilized the cotyledons and apex (100%) and in the case of young leaves, the result was 58% on media supplemented with kinetin 0.5 mg/L . Comparing with this genotype, for explants of De Cayenne variety cultivated on the same combination of tested culture medium (MS supplemented with 0.5 mg/L kinetin), the results of 100% were obtained only at the apex level and for the other types of tested somatic explants, the values recorded was 94% in the case of young leaves and only 55% for cotyledons.