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Title: Carbon Dioxide Enrichment Enhances Growth and Flavanoid Content of Two Scutellaria Species

Author
item STUTTE, GARY - DYNAMIC CORPORATION
item ERASO, IGNACIO - DYNAMIC CORPORATION
item Rimando, Agnes

Submitted to: Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/28/2008
Publication Date: 6/1/2008
Citation: Stutte, G.W., Eraso, I., Rimando, A.M. 2008. Carbon Dioxide Enrichment Enhances Growth and Flavanoid Content of Two Scutellaria Species. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 133(5):631-638.

Interpretive Summary: Scutellaria species a rich source of flavonoids, a group of phenolic compounds that have a wide range of biological activities. Experiments were conducted on two species, S. barbata and S. lateriflora, to determine the feasibility of increasing the growth rate and flavonoid content with CO2 enrichment in a controlled environment. Both species showed increased growth rate and total biomass in response to CO2 enrichment, and time to flowering was also accelerated by 7 to 10 days. In S. barbata, the content of the flavonoids apigenin, baicalin and scutellarein increased with increasing CO2, while the content of baicalein and wogonin did not. The flavonoids baicalein, baicalin, chrysin and wogonin were detected in tissues of S. lateriflora. The effect of CO2 enrichment was more pronounced in S. lateriflora. The flavonoid content of S. lateriflora was much higher than that of S. barbata under ambient CO2 conditions (1,144 vs. 249 microgram per gram dry weight). These results indicate that both yield and pharmaceutical quality of Scutellaria species can be enhanced with controlled environment production and CO2 enrichment.

Technical Abstract: Scutellaria is a genus of herbaceous perennials of the Laminaceae Family that includes several species with medicinal properties. The medicinal species of Scutellaria are rich in physiologically active flavonoids with a range of pharmacological activity. Experiments were conducted to determine the feasibility of increasing the growth rate and flavonoid content of S. barbata and S. lateriflora with CO2 enrichment in a controlled environment. Both species showed increased growth rate and total biomass in response to CO2 enrichment from 400 to 1200 µmol mol-1 CO2 and time to flowering was accelerated by 7 to 10 days. The bioactive flavonoids scutellarein, baicalin, apigenin, baicalein and wogonin were detected in vegetative tissue of S. barbata. Total flavonoid content increased 50% with enrichment to 1200 and 81% with 3000 µmol mol-1 CO2. Scutellarein, baicalin and apigenin concentrations increased with increasing CO2, while baicalein and wogonin did not. The flavonoids baicalin, baicalein, wogonin and chrysin were detected in vegetative tissue of S. lateriflora. Total flavonoid concentration of S. lateriflora was much higher than S. barbata under ambient CO2 conditions (1,144 vs. 249 µg gm dry weight-1). Total flavonoid content increased 2.4X with enrichment to 1200, and 5.9X with enrichment to 3000 µmol mol-1 CO2. All flavonoids increased in response to CO2 enrichment. These results indicate that both yield and pharmaceutical quality of Scutellaria species can be enhanced with controlled environment production and CO2 enrichment.