Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium plant (Papaver somniferum). It is one of the oldest known painkillers consisting of many alkaloids (morphine, codeine etc.) and is rich in protein and calcium. The morphine content of poppy seed intended for use in food recently have raised major concern due to intoxication in maximum limits. The federal institute for risk assessment (BFR) derive...

In this study, amount of morphine from poppy capsules (Papaver somniferum) was investigated using ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE). Response surface methodology was used to estimate effective experimental conditions on the content extraction of poppy capsules. For this purpose, solvent/solid ratio (10-20 mL/500 mg sample), pH (1-13), time (30-60 min), and temperature (30-50°C) were chosen a...

The collar rot disease has been reported recently and occurs at the 10-12-leaf stage of plants of opium poppy. Infected plants topple down and dry prematurely due to fast rotting at the collar region. The inoculum for this study was multiplied on the cornmeal-sand culture. Genetic ratios were calculated by the chi-square test. Inheritance studies on this disease show a monogenic pattern of segr...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) negatively control gene expression by cleaving or inhibiting the translation of mRNA of target genes, and as such, they play an important role in plant development. Of the 79 plant miRNA families discovered to date, most are from the fully sequenced plant genomes of Arabidopsis, Populus and rice. Here, we identified miRNAs from leaves, roots, stems and flowers at different de...

MADS-box genes are crucial regulators of floral development, yet how their functions have evolved to control different aspects of floral patterning is unclear. To understand the extent to which MADS-box gene functions are conserved or have diversified in different angiosperm lineages, we have exploited the capability for functional analyses in a new model system, Papaver somniferum (opium poppy...

Poppy cultivation has a long tradition in Central Europe. Growing winter poppy instead of the commonly grown spring might increase seed yield, especially face changing climatic conditions. However, knowledge regarding optimum sowing date and rate for under Pannonian climate conditions Europe is missing. Therefore, two-year field experiment was performed Eastern Austria with four dates ranging f...

S-Adenosyl-l-methionine:tetrahydroprotoberberine cis-N-methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.122) catalyzes the conversion of (S)-stylopine to the quaternary ammonium alkaloid, (S)-cis-N-methylstylopine, as a key step in the biosynthesis of protopine and benzophenanthridine alkaloids in plants. A full-length cDNA encoding a protein exhibiting 45 and 48% amino acid identity with coclaurine N-methyltransfe...

Catalase enzyme from red poppy (Papaver rhoeas) plant was immobilized covalently with glutaraldehyde onto chitosan particles. The changes in the kinetic properties of the immobilized and free red poppy catalase were determined. The Km values were found to be 26 and 33 mM for free and immobilized red poppy catalase on chitosan. Furthermore, various characteristics of free and immobilized red pop...