EFFECT OF GAMMA IRRADIATION ON Salvia officinalis L. AND Melissa officinalis L. IN VITRO PLANTS

Salvia officinalis L. (sage) and Melissa officinalis L. (lemon balm) are two valuable medicinal plants from Lamiaceae family. Considering the therapeutic potential of sage and lemon balm extracts, there is currently great interest to increase the production of biological material and the synthesis of bioactive compounds by different methods. Both micropropagation and gamma irradiation represent efficient methods of stimulating the synthesis of bioactive compounds in plants. In order to produce biological material, it is important to establish the doses of gamma radiation that do not have a phytotoxic effect on plants. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different doses of gamma irradiation (100, 300, and 500 Gy) on sage and lemon balm by quantifying of some biochemical compounds (assimilatory pigments, soluble carbohydrates, and total polyphenols) in in vitro plants. The results obtained revealed that high doses of gamma radiation have phytotoxic effect on in vitro raised plants. However, micropropagation is an efficient method to produce high quality biological material, source for obtaining extracts with therapeutic potential.