Synthetic Seed Production of Flower Bulbs

Abstract

Flower bulbs are perennial or annual plants with underground structures such as bulb, corn, tuber, and rhizomes. These plants have economic value especially in ornamental plant sector as cut flower, potted flower, and outdoor plants. Most of these plants have garish flower, and many of them are monocotyledon. Cyclamen, Tulipa, Lilium, Narcissus, Gladiolus, Hyacinthus, Crocus, Iris, Allium, Alstroemeria, Anemone, Orchis, Rhododendron, Freesia, Hippeastrum, Muscari, Ornithogalum, Ranunculus, and Zantedeschia are the most important geophytes that are commercially used in the world. These plants can be propagated using conventional and tissue culture techniques. Synthetic seed production is one of these techniques. Synthetic seed, namely, artificial seed, is described as artificially encapsulated plant tissues and somatic embryos with alginate hydrogel. Synthetic seed technology has significant effect on the conservation of the plant tissues and sustainability of the plants. Recently, conservation of the plant species studies significantly increased, and artificial seed method was used as the most common process to conserve important species. In this chapter, oldest and newest synthetic seed production researches were discussed and presented chronologically.