Essential oil profiling in callus of some wild and cultivated Daucus genotypes

Essential oil profiling in callus of some Daucus genotypes growing in Syria has been investigated in this work. Genotypes included three wild Daucus species (D. carota L, D. guttatus Sm. and D. bicolor Sm.) in addition to two carrot cultivars: red and yellow (D. carota L. subsp. sativus). Seeds were germinated in vitro and the roots of the resultant plantlets were used to initiate and grow callus. Essential oils extracted from callus were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Data analysis of callus:seed content ratio has shown a general sesquiterpene increment trend. A distinctive increase in the sesquiterpene carotol was noted in callus of the two wild species D. bicolor and D. guttatus. The results of our study clearly show the importance of callus culture as an alternative method to the use of whole plants or seeds as a source of essential oils, specifically sesquiterpenes in wild and cultivated carrots.