ISSN 2348-313X (Print) International Journal of Life Sciences Research ISSN 2348-3148 (online) Vol. 8, Issue 3, pp: (15-19), Month: July - September 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com
Production of Synthetic Seeds of Ficus carica L. Fadhlul Khaliq Ab Patah 1*, Nor Azlina Hasbullah1, Nur Shifa Radzuan1, Husna Idris1, Mohammad Mohd Lassim2 1
Department of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Technical and Vocational (FTV), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia
2
Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture (Sandakan Campus), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), 90000, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia Email: khaliqpatah@gmail.com
Abstract: The advantage of producing synthetic seeds of Ficus carica L. gives a new perspective to plant breeders to see that biotechnology is actually facilitating in improving the quality and productivity of the crops. Ficus carica L. is one of the first crop that have been grown by humans for economical purposes. Conventional propagation methods of Ficus carica L. through cuttings, grafting, and air-layering have been used since the beginning until now. Another alternative of propagating Ficus carica L. is through the production of synthetic seeds. The advantages of synthetic seeds production include various aspects such as production through aseptic tissue culture producing pathogen-free seeds, providing protection to enhance growth effectiveness in the external environment, and cloning that aimed for conservation and preservation as well as its in small size, easy to handle, to transport and also stored for specific purposes. The formation of consistent, uniformed and roundly shaped bead is influenced by the concentration of sodium alginate and the concentration of hydrated calcium chloride solution used. In this study, the optimal synthetic seeds of Ficus carica L. with consistent, strong, round and uniform size were successfully produced when 4% sodium alginate containing 1.0 mg/L Benzylaminopurine (BAP) was used as the explants’ encapsulation matrix. The synthetic seeds were germinated and new plantlets obtained were grown. Keywords: Ficus carica L., tissue culture, synthetic seeds, encapsulated bead, in vitro.
I. INTRODUCTION Synthetic seed technology proposes an alternative system for propagation of transgenic plants, non-seed producing plants, polyploids with elite traits and plants with problems in seed propagation [1]. A synthetic seed is defined as artificially encapsulated somatic embryos, shoot buds, cell aggregates, or any other tissue that can be used for sowing as a seed and that possess the ability to convert into a plant under in vitro or ex vitro conditions and that retains this potential also after storage [2]. There are several types of synthetic seed such as somatic embryos encapsulated in a water gel, dried and coated somatic embryos. Dried and uncoated somatic embryos, somatic embryos suspend in a fluid carrier, and shoot buds encapsulated in water gel [3]. The technology may also be of interest for storage of germplasm and transportation of selected genotypes [4]. Thus, the synthetic seed technology is best suited for the preservation of genetic structure of regenerated plants and can be stored for a long time [1]. Conventional methods in propagating Ficus carica L. such as cuttings, grafting and air layering are mainly and widely used even in the beginning of this plants have introduced to market for economically consumption. However, according to a previous study [5], the conventional methods yield production is low, limited and results in poor rooting which only 20 – 30% of cuttings were survived. The demand of Ficus carica L. fruit is increasing from time to time. The fruit of Ficus carica L. have a very high safety profile which contain numerous of nutrients including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin C, and Folate [6]. The benefits and high nutritious in this fruit have caused the demand from consumers to increase despite of their low productivity per year [7]. In addition, this was in line with Malaysian Third National Agriculture Policy (DPN 3)
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