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Nonzygotic Embryogenesis for Plant Development

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Plant Tissue Culture: Propagation, Conservation and Crop Improvement

Abstract

Nonzygotic or somatic embryogenesis is a specialized developmental mode by which somatic cells, under appropriate induction conditions, undergo restructuring pathway to form embryogenic cells. These cells then undergo a sequence of morphological and biochemical alterations that lead to the formation of a nonzygotic embryo and the production of new plants. Nonzygotic embryogenesis is a model system for a large-scale plant production. In vitro nonzygotic embryogenesis has wide practical and commercial applications in basic and applied aspects of agriculture and plant sciences. This chapter discusses the factors affecting nonzygotic embryogenesis and provides valuable information on induction, development, origin, and maturation of nonzygotic embryos, being useful for biotechnological applications. It also highlights the physiological, biochemical, and molecular aspects of nonzygotic embryogenesis. Moreover, this chapter surveys the characteristics of zygotic and nonzygotic embryos, as well as the synthetic seed technology and the practical applications of nonzygotic embryogenesis for crops improvement.

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  1. Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, 31527, Tanta, Egypt

    Mohamed A. El-Esawi

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  1. Plant Biotechnology Laboratory Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Mohammad Anis

  2. Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Naseem Ahmad

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El-Esawi, M.A. (2016). Nonzygotic Embryogenesis for Plant Development. In: Anis, M., Ahmad, N. (eds) Plant Tissue Culture: Propagation, Conservation and Crop Improvement. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1917-3_25

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