Question

Calcium alginate based synthetic seeds tend to lose water rapidly and become hard pellet. This problem can be overcome by

• A. Coating the capsule with polyethylene glycol
• B. Preserving the seeds in the airtight packaging till sowing
• C. Treating the somatic embryos with sterile water for 3 hours before encapsulation
• D. Coating the capsules with Elvax 4260

Hint:

When working with synthetic seeds, use polyethylene glycol as a coating to prevent dehydration and improve seed viability.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understand the issue with calcium alginate synthetic seeds.
Calcium alginate is commonly used to create synthetic seeds, but one major issue with these seeds is that they tend to lose water quickly, resulting in hard, non-viable pellets. This can cause poor germination and low success rates.

Step 2: How to overcome water loss in synthetic seeds.
To prevent water loss, coating the synthetic seeds with certain materials can help. The coating acts as a barrier, reducing the rate of water evaporation and maintaining the integrity of the seed.

Step 3: Evaluate the options.

• Option (1): Coating the capsule with polyethylene glycol — Correct. Polyethylene glycol is used to coat the seeds and prevent dehydration by creating a moisture-retaining layer.
• Option (2): Preserving the seeds in airtight packaging till sowing — This helps to prevent dehydration, but does not address the root cause of water loss in the seed itself.
• Option (3): Treating the somatic embryos with sterile water for 3 hours before encapsulation — This step may help with initial hydration, but it doesn't prevent water loss after encapsulation.
• Option (4): Coating the capsules with Elvax 4260 — Elvax 4260 is a polymer coating, but polyethylene glycol is a more commonly used solution for preventing rapid dehydration.

Step 4: Conclusion.
Coating the capsule with polyethylene glycol (Option 1) is the most effective solution to reduce water loss in calcium alginate-based synthetic seeds.