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The Cell’s Commitment to Somatic Embryogenesis

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Somatic Embryogenesis and Synthetic Seed I

Part of the book series: Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry ((AGRICULTURE,volume 30))

Abstract

Embryogenesis may be defined as the developmental program which, starting from two independent fertilization events, proceeds through coordinated stages to form a dormant embryo which is preserved and sheltered in the maternal ovary tissues by means of specific, and often elaborated structures, i.e., the seed and the fruit. In the life cycle of the flowering plant, this process plays a determinate role, gathering all the expectations for the future harvest and the performances of the forthcoming sporophytic organs. The functions of the maternal involucre and of agents or factors which may eventually influence the embryogenetic program, are largely unknown. Very little experimental work has been accomplished in this field, due to the small size of the zygote and its location deep within the maternal tissue. Notwithstanding these difficulties, the plentiful and accurate reports tracing the various stages of the embryological events, described with painstaking precision for most flowering plants, have to be acknowledged (Maheshwari 1950; Johri 1984).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Mutagenesi e Differenziamento, CNR, Via Svezia 10, 56124, Pisa, Italy

    L. Giorgetti

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  1. V. Nuti Ronchi
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  2. L. Giorgetti
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. A-137, New Friends Colony, 110065, New Delhi, India

    Y. P. S. Bajaj

  2. Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, India

    Y. P. S. Bajaj

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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Ronchi, V.N., Giorgetti, L. (1995). The Cell’s Commitment to Somatic Embryogenesis. In: Bajaj, Y.P.S. (eds) Somatic Embryogenesis and Synthetic Seed I. Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry, vol 30. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03091-2_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03091-2_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-08183-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-03091-2

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