Effect of medium constituents on the viability of immobilized plant cells

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Abstract
Cell suspension cultures of Daucus carota, Cannabis sativa, and Ipomoea sp. were entrapped within a matrix of calcium alginate. Immobilized D. carota cells were chosen as a model system for studies on the effects of medium constituents on the viability (i.e., respiration activity) of the entrapped cells. The 71 V medium could be simplified by omission of hormones, NH4+N, and vitamins, and 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulphonic acid could substitute for phosphate as the buffering component of the medium. An examination of the effects of varying concentrations of sucrose, KCl, trace elements, and CaCl2 on the viability of the entrapped cells allowed a simple buffer mixture to be formulated. In this mixture, immobilized cells remained viable for at least 24 days and at 12 days could still transform digitoxigenin to periplogenin. Entrapped cells of C. sativa were similarly viable for at least 8 days.