D. Y.

PATIL UNIVERSITY, NAVI MUMBAI

SCHOOL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS
PRACTICAL MANUAL PREPARATION
Programme-

MTI

Practical
Title-

Encapsulation of Embryo/seed

Semester-

VI

Experiment. No.
Aim-

To encapsulate embryos to demonstrate the production of synthetic

seeds.

Principle-

Zygotic embryos derived from seeds which are dormant or whose

germplasm needs to be conserved are encapsulated in a hydrogel. These
coated embryos behave like true seeds which can be sown in soil. These
can be used as substitute for natural needs.
Similarly somatic embryoids derived from plant tissue culture can be
used as synthetic seeds. Somatic embryoids are not enclosed by seed
coats and due to increased chances of microbial contamination and
desiccation they are unable to survive. Thus, they have to be coated with
a protective covering so that embryoids will be able to survive and
would not dry even after planting into the soil. Shoot buds can also be
encapsulated and stored for longer period of time.
Artificial seeds help in long term storage and easy transport of plant
material. Rare species can be conserved and hybrid plants and can be
maintained and propagated. They help in breaking seed dormancy. Any
plant part can be encapsulated and thus provide a cost effective method
for storage and maintenance of plant material. In addition, the genetic
uniformity of plant material is maintained and they also provide easy
handling of plant material. In some cases, an additional coating of
antibiotics or herbicide can be incorporated to further protect them.

Requirment-

1. Explant-zygotic embryos of groundnut seeds(Arachis hypogea)

2. Medium- MS medium supplemented with kinetics(1mg/l)
3. 0.1% hgcl2;
4. 2% sodium alginate solution;
5. 1M CaCL2 solution;
6. sterile D/W;
7. Sterile beaker;
8. Pipettes;
9. Sterile petridishes;
1
10. Forceps;
11. Scalpels;
12. Culture tubes.