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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #280688
Title: Production and short-term of synthetic seeds from encapsulated begonia

Author
item Sakhanokho, Hamidou
item Pounders Jr, Cecil
item SPIERS, JAMES - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/5/2011
Publication Date: 11/25/2011
Citation: Sakhanokho, H.F., Pounders Jr, C.T., Spiers, J. 2011. Production and Short-Term of Synthetic Seeds from Encapsulated Begonia. HortScience. 46:S262.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Synthetic seeds were formed from in vitro grown Begonia (cvs ‘Sweetheart Mix’ and ‘Baby Wing White’) shoot tips using 3% sodium alginate in Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium (MS) salt solution as the gel matrix and 100 mM calcium chloride for complexation. Synthetic seed formation was achieved by releasing the sodium alginate/explant combination into 100 mM calcium chloride solution asceptically for either 30 or 45 minutes. The control consisted of non encapsulated shoots. Both control and encapsulated shoots were transferred into sterile Petri dishes and stored at 4 °C for 0, 2, or 4 weeks. Conversion of synthetic seeds into plantlets was assessed in either MS medium or soil (Jiffy 7 peat pellets). After 4 weeks, conversion percentage improved from 6.7% (control) to 100% in MS medium and from 0% (control) to 80% in soil for the 45 min treatment. Synthetic seed derived plantlets easily developed into mature plants.