Abstract
The possibility of culturing excised embryos of coconut, Cocos nucifera L. var. nana in vitro has been investigated. Embryos were excised from nuts harvested 10-11 months after pollination. Incubation of these embryos in a liquid medium (a modification of Y3 medium, Eeuwens, 1978) at 30-32°C and under a 12hr photoperiod of low light intensity (2.0μEm-2s-1) resulted in about 62% of the cultured embryos developing into seedlings. A high concentration of sucrose stimulated haustorium development and subsequent root initiation. A significant retardation in growth of the embryos and complete cessation of haustorium development and root initiation occured in the absence of activated charcoal. Four month old seedlings were transplanted successfully into soil. It is concluded that activated charcoal and a high concentration of sucrose are two important factors contributing to successful growth of coconut embryos in vitro. Attempts were also made to preserve the coconut embryos in culture in a dormant state. A special survival medium which suppresses the growth of the embryos has been developed. 32% of the embryos incubated in the survival medium for a period of 5 months developed into seedlings when transferred to the development medium. COCOS, (1985) 3 01-08 doi: 10.4038/cocos.v3i0.815
Highlights
The technique of in vitro embryo culture is employed in many laboratories to raise plants from either undeveloped or non-germinating embryos resulting from incompatible crosses ( D e Guzman etal, 1971; Gosal & Bajaj, 1983; Thomas & Pratt, 1981)
Investigations on trace element deficiencies with coconut seedings were carried out using the sand culture technique (Nathaneal. 1961)
A major problem in this procedure is the absorption of significant quantities of trace elements from the endosperm, by the seedling during germination and the possible translocation of these minerals within the tissue This problem can be overcome by using seedlings developed from embryos in vitro as the experimental material
Summary
The technique of in vitro embryo culture is employed in many laboratories to raise plants from either undeveloped or non-germinating embryos resulting from incompatible crosses ( D e Guzman etal, 1971; Gosal & Bajaj, 1983; Thomas & Pratt, 1981). Iyer (1981) reported the development of seedlings from embryos of West Coast Tall coconuts but these had a high rate of mortality on transplanting to soil. The present paper reports some of the observations on in vitro culture of embryos of the dwarf coconuts of Sri Lanka.
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