Production and Short-Term Storage of Synthetic Seeds From Encapsulated Begonia Shoot Tips

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.