Embryo Rescue of Aged Cucurbita pepo Seeds Using Squash Rescue Medium

Abstract

Plant seed is both an important food source and an indispensable propagation material for many cultivated crop species. The ideal conditions required for long-term storage of seeds are expensive, exacting, and not always tenable, particularly for small breeding programs. In most plant species, viability is significantly reduced in old, sub-optimally stored seeds due to depleted energy reserves and biochemical degradation.