Response of Morphogenesis and Cell Proliferation to Allelopatic Compounds on Rice Germplasm

Abstract

Allelopathic compounds are chemical substances produced by weeds, including Imperata cylindrica, that can inhibit the absorption of nutrients and cell growth of neighboring plants. Tissue culture technique can be used to determine the effect of media composition on morphogenesis and cell proliferation, as indicated by related genes. Through the process of somatic embryogenesis, cells regenerate into whole plants via several phases initiated by gene expression. Genes are the signal that connects environmental cues and plant cells. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of allelopathic compounds from Imperata cylindrica root extract on the morphogenesis and cell proliferation of indigenous Indonesian rice plant. The used callus was derived from the seeds of Bondoyudo, Caok, Ciliwung and Situbagendit rice varieties. The results of callus induction were selected and transferred to regeneration media that had been treated with I. cylindrica roots extract of 2.5 g/L and 5 g/L. The development of callus was monitored weekly for six weeks. As for the molecular analysis, four-week-old callus was utilized. The results demonstrated that the root extract of Imperata cylindrica had a specific effect on the morphogenesis and proliferation of rice cells depending on concentration and target plant. At a molecular level, the expression of the OsBBM, OsLEA, OsLEC1, OsSERK, and OsWOX4 genes was affected differently by the administration of allelopathic compounds at a concentration of 5 g/L on a molecular level.