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Artificial Seeds- An artificial seed is a bead of gel containing a somatic embryo (or shoot bud), and the nutrients, growth regulators pesticides, antibiotics, etc. needed for the development of a complete plantlet from the enclosed SE/shoot bud.
Artificial seeds may be produced using one of the following two ways:
(1) desiccated systems and
(2) hydrated systems.
In the desiccated system, SE s is first hardened to withstand desiccation and then are encapsulated in a suitable coating material to yield desiccated artificial seeds. SE s may be hardened either by treating/coating mature SE s with a suitable polymer followed by drying, or treating them with ABA during their maturation phase. ABA treatment also improves germination of SE s, and is used even in the hydrated systems.

In the hydrated systems, SE s are enclosed in gels, which remain hydrated. Of the many gels evaluated, calcium alginate is the most suitable. Artificial seeds can be easily made as follows. A 2% solution of sodium alginate is filled in a burette and allowed to drip drop by drop into a 100 mM CaCl2 solution.

As the sodium alginate bead or drop forms at the tip of the burette, an SE is inserted into it with the help of a spatula before the drop falls into the CaCl solution. The beads become hardened as calcium alginate is formed; after about 20-30 min the artificial seeds are removed, washed with water and used for planting.

Hydrated artificial seeds are sticky and difficult to handle on a large scale, and dry rapidly in the open air. These problems can be resolved by providing a waxy coating over the beads. Alternatively, a desiccated system may be used to produce artificial seeds.

However, hydrated artificial seeds have to be planted soon after they are produced. Precision machines for a large scale encapsulation of SE s have been devised.

  

 
 

 
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