Summary
Conversion (plant production) was obtained from direct-planting alfalfa somatic embryos and encapsulated somatic embryos (artificial seeds) of alfalfa into a growth chamber and greenhouse. The embryos were planted in a commercial soil potting mix under nonsterile conditions in a manner similar to zygotic seed. Embryo maturation with abscisic acid (ABA), prior to planting, gave 48% conversion in soil under growth chamber conditions. Under greenhouse conditions, 64% conversion was obtained when humidified air was used to prevent soil surface drying. Previously, conversion in soil was between 0–6% without the ABA maturation treatment. The replacement of ABA with mannitol or combinations of mannitol and ABA during maturation resulted in lower conversion in the growth chamber than with ABA alone. ABA may be promoting the accumulation of embryo storage reserves such as proteins and carbohydrates for growth after planting in the soil environment.
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Plant Editors note: Proceedings from a special symposium entitled “Synthetic Seeds” presented at the 39th annual meeting of the Tissue Culture Association, Las Vegas, Nevada on June 16, 1988. Associate Editor Keith Redenbaugh organized the symposium and handled reviews of the manuscripts.
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Fujii, J.A., Slade, D. & Redenbaugh, K. Maturation and greenhouse planting of alfalfa artificial seeds. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol 25, 1179–1182 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02621271
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02621271