Effective plant reproduction of Pelargonium sidoides by using somatic embryogenesis

Roots of the native South African medicinal plant Pelargonium sidoides DC are used for the production of the herbal medicinal product Umckaloabo® which is approved for the treatment of acute bronchitis. Initially, the plant material only originated from wild collections. Since some years the root material increasingly is derived from plant agriculture of P. sidoides. Nevertheless the population of wild growing plants during the last years decreased by half (1). With regard to species protection in combination with an increasing demand of plant material for the industrial production of the medicinal product, the requirement of an effective method for the propagation of P. sidoides becomes obvious.

With somatic embryogenesis, a cell culture technique for plant reproduction, embryos could be generated from somatic cells of blossom stems of Pelargonium. A one-week cultivation of the plant explants in media containing specific phytohormones followed by a cultivation period without phytohormones resulted in the induction of numerous somatic embryos within 3 – 4 weeks. A treatment of explants with a specific purified extract leads to improved somatic embryogenesis. The method allows an enhanced production of numerous clones from one plant (e.g. interesting chemical races) and represents an effective way of plant reproduction.

Reference:

[1] Newton, D. (2008): Development of a nondetriment finding process for Pelargonium sidoides in Lesotho. International Expert Workshop on CITES Non-Detriment Findings. Cancun, Mexiko, 2008.