Enhancement of Artemisinin Production in Artemisia Annua : Functional Genomics and Biotechnological Approaches

In the present work salt tolerant variant have been isolated and characterized in Artemisia annua. These mutants have allowed initial dissection of the signaling system for response to NaCl stress by identification of novel phenotypes. The isolation and characterization of these salt tolerant variant for morphological, biochemical and secondary metabolite profile forms the basis of this work. The objectives chosen for present research project were: (1) Isolation of induced salt tolerant variant, (2) Morphological and biochemical characterization of isolated salt tolerant variant at various stages of development, (3) Comparison of selected mutants with the wild type for secondary metabolite production and field performance in terms of yield related traits, and (4) Definition of the affected genes by the use of mutants and determination of the inheritance of genes so defined.