Micropropagation of Corydalis ambigua through embryogenesis of tuber sections and chemical evaluation of the ramets

Corydalis ambigua, a perennial herb of the family Papaveraceae, was micropropagated through somatic embryogenesis starting from sliced tubers. Somatic embryos were proliferated on Linsmaier and Skoog medium of a half strength containing 2% sucrose and 0.1 μM indole-3-acetic acid or indole-3-butyric acid solidified with 0.2% Gelrite. Somatic embryos were germinated and grew on plant growth regulator-free White's medium supplemented with 2% sucrose and 0.8% agar in the dark at 0–4°C for 6 months to give rise to microtubers that could be potted out of culture tubes. Three strains of micropropagated plants cultivated outdoors for 5 years gave different tetrahydroprotoberberine-type alkaloids pattern, respectively. The variation of tetrahydroprotoberberine-type alkaloid (corybulbine, corydaline and cavidine) content within a strain was not significantly different from that of the corresponding alkaloid in the wild plants.