Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Synthetic Seed Production for Germplasm Exchange

The bulkiness of the planting material and its association with cassava mosaic disease are the major constrains for cassava germplasm exchange. Hence, an efcient technique for short-term conservation and exchange of its germplasm by encapsulating non-embryogenic propagules was standardised. among the media tested for sprouting of in vitro sown synthetic seeds, the maximum sprouting (91.30%) and satisfactory growth of the plants was observed in a semi-solid Ms basal medium with 3% sucrose. the regeneration potential of cassava synthetic seeds stored at room temperature (25±1°c) after sealing aseptically in sterile polythene bags were studied. an average of 70.50% plantlets were recovered from the synthetic seeds stored for 42 days and sprouting was reduced drastically after 49 days of storage. the recovered plantlets from the synthetic seeds were acclimatised in planting trays comprising of autoclaved sand and garden soil (1:1). three weeks after acclimatization 97.0% survival with normal plant growth was observed.