Patent ID: 6627441
Filing Date: 2003-09-30
Classification: A01H

Abstract:
A method of producing viable mature conifer cotyledonary desiccation-tolerant somatic embryos, including:(i) nourishing the embryos with a suitable metabolizable carbon source, and (ii) treating the embryos with at least one growth regulator influencing embryo development selected from the group consisting of abscisic acid, its precursors, derivatives, and analogs, and (iii) water stressing the embryos; wherein the type, intensity, and duration of the water stressing, and the type and concentration of the metabolizable carbon source and growth regulator are selected to reduce the moisture content of the embryos to a level of less than about 55% and to render the embryos desiccation-tolerant, and wherein the water stressing is non-plasmolysing; characterized in that: the concentration of the growth regulator is raised from a selected initial concentration to a selected peak concentration value.