Plant Biotechnology

Experiment 2

Principle

Synthetic seed technology offers an efficient means for mass propagation of a commercially important plant species all year round, irrespective of season and climatic conditions. The advantages of synthetic seeds for propagation include easy handling and potential long-term storage. The seeds can also be used for conservation of germplasm and exchange of axenic plant material between laboratories. Many factors have been shown to be significant for shoot regrowth and rooting of those shoots after encapsulation.

Materials required

Seed embryo, Distilled water, Calcium chloride, Sodium alginate, Beaker, Pipette

Procedure

1. For encapsulation the explant was immersed in 2% or 3% (w/v) sodium alginate solution.

2. Dropped into the complexing solution of 50 mM calcium chloride using a sterile pipette of appropriate diameter. Each drop contained one seed embryo.

Result

The synthetic seed prepared can be stored in refrigerator at 4°C and further use during in vitro micro propagation experiment.

Reference Material

1. Preparation of synthetic seed in laboratory

2. Introduction to synthetic seeds

3. Importance of Synthetic seed preparation

Questions

1. What other alternative can be used instead of sodium alginate?

2. Can the artificial seeds be stored in cryopreservation? Why?

3. What are the applications of synthetic seeds?

4. Which type of plants cannot be used for preparing artificial seeds?