Production of artificial seeds from somatic embryos of the galbanum plant

Haghnazari, Arman; Azimi, Mohammad Reza; Amarlou, Ali; Barati Fard, Mahdis; Mohsenifard, Ehsan

doi:10.30470/jmpb.2025.2047229.1116

Production of artificial seeds from somatic embryos of the galbanum plant

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

arman haghnazari ¹

mohammad reza azimi ²

ali amarlou ³

mahdis barati fard ⁴

ehsan mohsenifard ²

¹ MSc of Plant Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

² Associate Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

³ Associate Professor, Research Institute of Modern Biological Techniques, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

⁴ MSc Student of Plants Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30470/jmpb.2025.2047229.1116

Abstract

The Ferula gummosa plant is a perennial and valuable species from the Apiaceae family, native to Iran. The significance of this plant lies in its resin, known as galbanum. Dormancy of the seeds is one of the main challenges in its growth, taking at least 9 months under natural conditions. The aim of this experiment was to shorten the dormancy period of this plant using artificial seed technology. In this experiment, somatic embryos of F .gummosa at the heart-shaped and torpedo stages were obtained from leaf explants in an MS1/2 medium containing 1 mg/L of BAP hormone and 1 mg/L of NAA hormone. Additionally, the embryonic part of the seed was isolated and encapsulated using a 2% sodium alginate solution, resulting in the production of artificial seeds. The results showed that the encapsulated somatic embryos at the torpedo stage showed the greatest seedling length after 15 and 30 days, and the germination of these seeds was faster compared to other seeds. The seeds obtained from the embryonic part also showed acceptable results. The findings of this experiment indicate that considering the time required for producing artificial seeds of F. gummosa, this method is quicker and more suitable for the propagation of this plant.

Keywords

Ferula gummosa

synthetic seed

somatic embryo

sodium alginate

tissue culture

Subjects