Encapsulation of Somatic Embryos in Synthetic Seed Coats

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Abstract
The importance of tissue culture for clonal propagation in agriculture continues to increase each year. In general, commercial use of tissue culture propagation has been limited to crops that have a high per-unit value, such as ornamentals and fruit and nut trees. A lowcost, high-volume propagation system is not available, but could be of significant value to medium per-unit value crops such as lettuce, celery, and many others (Table 1). For these crops, highvolume propagation potential of somatic embryogenesis combined with formation of synthetic seeds for low-cost delivery would open a new field for clonal propagation. Candidate crops for synthetic seed production can be classified into two categories: 1) those that have a strong technological basis, such that high quality somatic embryos can currently be produced, and 2) those with a strong commercial basis. The latter category of crops are those in which seed costs are high because of fertility problems, gamete instability, labor-intensive hybrid seed formation, or a number of other reasons. Currently, there are few crops (Table 1) that meet both requirements and are suitable for synthetic seed technology.

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