VARIABILITY OF ALKALOID CONTENT IN ACCESSIONS OF WINTER POPPY ECOTYPE (PAPAVER SOMNIFERUM L.)

In Hungary, 10 poppy cultivars of “spring-sown” type are registered with different alkaloid contents of dry capsule.
There is only one cultivar ’Kozmosz’ of “winter” poppy ecotype with medium-high alkaloid content (4-6%). Our idea was – in conformation with international efforts observed in poppy breeding – to select plant material of winter type with low-, high-, or special alkaloid content, which can be cultivated under the Hungarian ecological conditions.
A total of 30 winter poppy populations of gene bank origin were involved into the investigations.
The quantitative and qualitative determination of morphine, codeine and thebaine were done with thin-layer chromatography and densitometric evaluation.
All populations seemed to have middle alkaloid content ranging their mean morphine content between 1.5 and 4.5 % with individual values of 0.2-10.0%. The relatively high individual variability found in the alkaloid content of populations provides an excellent basis for the further selection.

International Conference on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. Possibilities and Limitations of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Production in the 21st Century

F. Petheö, J. Bernáth, A. Sztefanov

gene bank populations, “autumn-sown” population, breeding, selection, morphine

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.576.9