Cyanobacteria produces bioactive compounds including plant growth regulators. Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), a toxic substance, is a synthetic plant regulator used in micropropagation. The aim of this work was to evaluate morphogenetic and antioxidant effects produced by intra and extracellular substances from
Scytonema hofmanni
(Cyanobacteria) during the multiplication
in vitro of
Lilium alexandrae
in vitro and to compare them to those produced by NAA. Intra and extracellular cyanobacterial products increased a) bulblets production reaching 83% and 78% of NAA effect, respectively; b) the bulblet diameter compared to NAA; and c) the bulblet survival due to the promotion of antioxidant activity measured as catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase activity. The cyanobacterial substances stimulated regeneration and delayed bulblet senescence. They could replace NAA, dangerous for the operator, not only during the regeneration phase but also during the storage of the viable bulblets cultivated
in vitro.