Production of non-embryogenic synthetic seeds for propagation and germplasm transfer of Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig

Abstract

This study first time depicts a synthetic seed protocol of Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig by alginate encapsulation. A non-embryogenic type of propagule i.e. axenic shoot segments excised from in vitro proliferated shoot cultures were used for preparation of synthetic seeds. The production and conversion (one-step plantlet formation) of synthetic seeds was influenced by the concentrations of sodium alginate and calcium chloride (CaCl2) used. The combination of 3% sodium alginate and 100 mM CaCl2 was optimum encapsulation matrix showing highest conversion rate (90%) of synthetic seeds on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) basal medium. The synthetic seeds were stored up to 4 weeks at two different temperatures, one at low temperature (4 °C) and another at culture room condition (25 °C) with one-step conversion rate of 73% and 62% respectively. The clonal fidelity of the plants produced from both freshly prepared synthetic seeds and those synthetic seeds stored for 4 weeks at 4 °C and 25 °C were confirmed using two molecular markers namely randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR). This synthetic seed production protocol of H. coronarium could be utilized for its propagation as well as transfer and exchange of germplasm to distance places.