Identification of good quality, viable seeds: An essential step towards induction of somatic embryogenesis of a sedge species important for land rehabilitation
Introduction: Sedges (Cyperaceae) are key species comprising a significant ground cover component of pre-mined ecosystems in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forests of Western Australia. Re•establishment of sedges into disturbed sites is often problematic because many are impossible to grow from cuttings Of divisions, and are extremely difficult to propagate from seed due to difficulty in collecting large numbers of seed, poor seed viability and complex dormancy mechanisms (Meney et al. 1990). Propagation by conventional techniques is often labour-intensive and time-consuming, hence the development of in vitro propagation methods including somatic embryogenesis (Panaia 2006). Initial efforts to extract seed embryos for somatic embryogenesis in several species have been thwarted by what appears to be erratic seed quality. We report here investigations undertaken on the sedge species Lepidosperma squama tum to develop a method to identify good quality, viable seed and determine to what extent somatic embryogenesis is dependent on seed quality
