Tropentag, October 11 - 13, 2005 in Stuttgart-Hohenheim "The Global Food & Product Chain – Dynamics, Innovations, Conflicts, Strategies"

Plant Regeneration via Organogenesis and Embryogenesis in Sweet Corn

¹Chiang Mai University, Department of Agronomy, Thailand
²Georg-August-University Göttingen, Institute of Agricultural Chemistry, Germany

Abstract

Synthetic seed consisting of somatic embryos enclosed in protective coating are a suitable tool for clonal mass propagation of elite plant varieties. Sweet corn (Zea mays var. saccharata) embryogenic callus were derived from culturing immature zygotic embryos at 11 days after pollination on N6 medium that containing 2,4-D 2 mg/l and sucrose 60 g/l. Somatic embryos developed when transferred embryogenic callus to N6 medium contained with 2 mg/l 2,4-D and 30 g/l sucrose. Sweet corn synthetic seed was produced by somatic embryos encapsulated into a protective calcium-alginate matrix which provides mechanical support, protection and was coated with a wax film to prevent desiccation. Synthetic seeds were produced. It was found that when synthetic seed were treated with 60 g/l sucrose and stored at 15±2 °C for 2 weeks, the percentage of germination of synthetic seeds were 42 %, percentage of normal seedling was 91 % and abnormal seedling was 8 % they germinated for 8-9 days and produced normal planlet. When the synthetic seeds were dehydrated by silica gel until remained 60 % of their moisture content and then stored for 2 weeks, they could germinated at level of 23 %, which 83 % were normal seedling and 17 % were abnormal seedling. During storage, it was also found that microorganism contamination could be controlled by benomyl. The survival ratio in sweet corn synthetic seed in this investigation indicated that there is still some more research required to increase the number of the survival seeds and the optimum storage technique to prolong their viability.

Keywords: Embryogenesis, organogenesis, plant regeneration, sweet corn, viability

Contact Address: Sangtiwa Suriyong, Chiang Mai University, Department of Agronomy, Huay Kaew Road, 50200 Chiang Mai, Thailand, e-mail: sangtiwachiangmai.ac.th