Effect of vanadium(IV) on the growth of Artemisia tilesii “hairy” root culture

Aim. Determination of the effect of toxic metals on plants is of considerable interest, since contamination of the environment with toxicants is a threat to the safety of agriculture and human health. Vanadium increased content in soil leads to the suppression of plant growth. The aim of the work was to determine the peculiarities of the influence of V(IV) (neutral solution [V4+ cit]) on Artemisia tilesii Ledeb plants in the in vitro model system and to compare this effect on the growth of “hairy” root culture and plants. Methods. Plant shoots and transgenic roots were cultivated on a solidified Murashige and Skoog medium with V(IV) at 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 mg/L. Mass increase was measured after 4 weeks. Results. It was found that V(IV) at 50 mg/L concentration completely inhibited root formation and led to shoot death. Transgenic roots survived even at 100 mg/L of vanadium. Conclusions. The results of the work demonstrated that A. tilesii “hairy” roots were characterized by greater resistance to V(IV) than control plants. In addition, differences in the sensitivity of different root lines to this compound were detected. This fact probably could be explained by the transformation, the transfer of agrobacterial genes, and changes in the secondary metabolism in transgenic roots. Keywords: vanadium(IV), Artemisia tilesii Ledeb., “hairy” root culture.