ABSTRACT
Secondary metabolites, more recently known as plant specialized metabolites also referred to as phytochemicals have a vast area of applications in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetics, and agriculture fields. Secondary metabolites are generally produced in low yields. Therefore, induction of hairy root cultures in plants is one of the popular plant tissue culture techniques adopted to increase secondary metabolite production and accumulation. Hairy root induction and growth depends on various factors, such as selection of clone or strain plant variety, culture media, nutrient content, exogenous factors, and incubation parameters. Different chemical techniques have been explored to characterize the components and chemical structures of novel secondary metabolites produced in hairy root cultures. Rhizobium rhizogenes (formerly Agrobacterium rhizogenes) transformation is confirmed by different techniques such as visual observation of phenotypic characteristics, opine detection, PCR analysis and southern blotting, and. Plant tissue culture clubbed with Agrobacterium based genetic transformation has not only improved but has also opened a new field for the safe production of bioactive compounds in higher amounts, a much-needed alternative to prevent exploitation of plants natural habitat. Some of the unique properties of hairy roots include fast growth, biochemical and genetic stability. These can be generated from different plant cultures and are amenable to bioprocessing in fermentation tanks. This chapter focuses on expanding on the above-mentioned factors pertaining to A. rhizogenes transformation of plants to increase plant specialized metabolites or secondary metabolites.
