Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T18:03:59.107Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Influence of plating density, sucrose and light during development on the germination and vigour of Medicago sativa L. somatic embryos after desiccation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2008

K. Anandarajah  and
B. D. McKersie
K. Anandarajah
Affiliation:
Department of Crop Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
B. D. McKersie*
Affiliation:
Department of Crop Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
*
* Correspondence
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Somatic embryo quality is an important aspect of artificial or synthetic seed production and is dependent on proper morphological development and deposition of sufficient storage reserves to support early growth of the seedling. The abilities of a somatic embryo to survive desiccation and to establish a rapidly growing seedling were used as estimates of quality and were dependent on a number of factors during the elongation and maturation phases of somatic embryo development. Embryo quality was significantly enhanced when the sucrose content of the elongation and maturation media was increased to 50 g I−1 from 30 g I−1. This increased dry weight to >2 mg embryo−1 suggesting greater deposition of storage reserves. Higher sucrose concentrations were inhibitory and reduced survival after desiccation and seedling vigour. An optimum number of embryos can be supported on one Petri plate; the number was controlled by the plating density of the embryogenic cell clusters spread on the elongation medium. This optimum was dependent to some extent on the sucrose content of the medium, indicating that sucrose had a nutritive effect on embryo development and not solely an osmotic effect. Light intensity was another critical factor. Intensities > 75 μmol m−2 s−1 photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) at the elongation stage of development blocked globular-stage somatic embryo development. Maturing somatic embryos were far less sensitive to high light intensities and development was more rapid at 150 μmol m−2 s−1 PPFD. Light quality was manipulated by covering plates with filters that selectively transmitted certain regions of the visible spectrum. All filter treatments reduced embryo yield and quality compared with embryos developing under fullspectrum light; varying the light spectrum does not seem to be a viable method of enhancing somatic embryo quality.

Keywords

lucerneartificial seedsdesiccationseed developmentsomatic embryogenesis
Type
Research Papers
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 2 , Issue 3 , September 1992 , pp. 133 - 140
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anandarajah, K. and McKersie, B.D. (1990) Enhanced vigor of dry somatic embryos of Medicago sativa L. with increased sucrose. Plant Science 71, 261–266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anandarajah, K. and McKersie, B.D. (1990b) Manipulating the desiccation tolerance and vigour of dry somatic embryos of Medicago sativa L. with sucrose and heat shock. Plant Cell Reports 9, 451–455.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bender, L. and Neumann, K.H. (1978) Investigations on the indole-3-acetic acid metabolism of carrot tissue cultures (Daucus carota L.). Zeitschrift für Pflanzenphysiologie 88, 209–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bewley, J.D. and Black, M., (1982) Environmental control of germination. pp. 276–339 in: Physiology and biochemistry of seeds, Vol 2, chapter 6. New York, Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
Bingham, E.T., Hurley, L.V., Kaatz, D.M. and Saunders, J.W., (1975) Breeding alfalfa which regenerates from callus tissue in culture. Crop Science 15, 719–721.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunlap, J.R. and Robacker, K.M. (1988) Nutrient salts promote light induced degradation of indole-3-acetic acid in tissue culture. Plant Physiology 88, 379–382.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunlap, J.R., Kresovich, S. and McGee, R.E., (1986) The effect of salt concentration on auxin stability in culture media. Plant Physiology 81, 934–936.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elstner, E.F., (1982) Oxygen activation and oxygen toxicity. Annual Review of Plant Physiology 33, 73–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gamborg, O., Miller, R. and Ojima, K., (1968) Nutrient requirements of suspension cultures of soybean root cells. Experimental Cell Research 50, 151–158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gray, D.J., Conger, B.V. and Songstad, D.D., (1987) Desiccated quiescent somatic embryos of orchardgrass for use as synthetic seeds. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology 23, 29–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, B., Bird, S., Kemble, R., Simonds, D., Keller, W. and Miki, B., (1990) Effects of culture density, conditioned medium and feeder cultures on microspore embryogenesis on Brassica napus L. cv. Topas. Plant Cell Reports 8, 594–597.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, Y.H. and Janick, J., (1989) ABA and polyoxencapsulation or high humidity increases survival of desiccated somatic embryos of celery. HortScience 24, 674–676.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kitto, S.L. and Janick, J., (1985) Hardening treatment increased survival of synthetically-coated asexual embryos of carrot. Journal of the American Society of Horticultural Science 110, 283–286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kott, L.S. and Beversdorf, W.D., (1990) Enhanced plant regeneration from microspore-derived embryos of Brassica napus by chilling, partial desiccation and age selection. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture 23, 187–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKersie, B.D., Senaratna, T., Bowley, S.R., Brown, D.C.W., Krochko, J.E. and Bewley, J.D., (1989) Applications of artificial seed technology in the production of hybrid alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology 25, 1183–1188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKersie, B.D., Senaratna, T. and Bowley, S.R., (1990) Drying somatic embryos for use as artificial seeds. Proceedings of the Plant Growth Regulator Society of America. Aug 5–9. St. Paul, MN. 17, 199–207.Google Scholar
Nissen, S.J. and Sutter, E.G., (1990) Stability of IAA and IBA in nutrient medium to several tissue culture procedures. HortScience 25, 800–802.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rajasekaran, K., Vine, J. and Mullins, M.G., (1982) Dormancy in somatic embryos and seeds of Vitis: changes in endogenous abscisic acid during embryogeny and germination. Planta 154, 139–144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ranch, J.P., Oglesby, L. and Zielinski, A.C., (1985) Plant regeneration from embryo-derived tissue cultures of soybean. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology 21, 653–658.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schenk, B.U. and Hildebrandt, A.C., (1972) Medium and techniques for induction and growth of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plant cell culture. Canadian Journal of Botany 50, 199–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Senaratna, T., McKersie, B.D. and Bowley, S.R., (1989) Desiccation tolerance of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) somatic embryos. Influence of abscisic acid, stress pretreatments and drying rates. Plant Science 65, 253–259.Google Scholar
Senaratna, T., McKersie, B.D. and Bowley, S.R., (1990) Artificial seeds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Induction of desiccation tolerance in somatic embryos. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology 26, 85–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stickland, R.G. and Sunderland, N., (1972) Photocontrol of growth, and of anthocyanin and chlorogenic acid production in cultured callus tissues of Haplopappus gracilis. Annals of Botany 36, 671–685.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xu, N., Coulter, K.M. and Bewley, J.D., (1990) Abscisic acid and osmoticum prevent germination of developing alfalfa embryos but only osmoticum maintains the synthesis of developing proteins. Planta 182, 382–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar