1 Sivas Bilim ve Teknoloji Üniversitesi, Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü, Tarım Bilimleri Anabilim Dalı, Sivas
2 Çukurova Üniversitesi, Ziraat Fakültesi, Bahçe Bitkileri Bölümü, Adana
3 Sivas Bilim ve Teknoloji Üniversitesi, Tarım Bilimleri ve Teknoloji Fakültesi, Sivas
Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the effects of drought stress on the morphological development of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) under in vitro conditions. The experiments were conducted at the Prof. Dr. Saadet Büyükalaca Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory of the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Çukurova University, and the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Sivas University of Science and Technology. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used to induce drought stress in the experiment. In this context, stem and root lengths (mm), stem fresh and dry weights (g), and root fresh and dry weights (g) of lemon balm plants were measured at different PEG concentrations (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%). According to the findings, statistically significant differences (p≤0.01) were observed among the media for all investigated traits. The highest values for root and stem length and for root and stem fresh weight were obtained from the control group (M1: 0% PEG), with 10.07 mm, 23.81 mm, 0.0057 g, and 0.091 g, respectively. In terms of root and stem dry weights, the highest values were determined in plants grown in the M2 medium containing 2% PEG, with 0.0007 g and 0.0062 g, respectively. High PEG concentrations (4% and 6%) markedly restricted plant growth and biomass formation for all examined parameters. In conclusion, increasing PEG levels were shown to have adverse effects on the development of lemon balm plants.
Keywords
Abiotic stress,drought,lemon balm,in vitro
How to Cite
AKGÜL, Y., DÜZEN, Şerife, ŞAHİN, A., KARA, E., TAŞKIN, H., BAKTEMUR, G., & KAPLAN EVLİCE, A. (2026). Morphological Responses of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) to in vitro Drought Stress. ISPEC Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 10(2), 550–560. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20160664
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Şerife DÜZEN2