What is a Synthetic Seed?
Synthetic Seeds are small, encapsulated plant embryos that are created from tissue culture. They contain a fully developed embryo with endosperm and protective seed coat, which provides essential nutrients for the embryo's growth, enabling to grow under controlled conditions.
Benefits of Synthetic Seed
Increased Crop Yield
Synthetic seeds improve germination, eliminate disease and pests, and increase the efficiency of plant propagation, thereby boosting the crop yield..
Sustainability
Synthetic seeds can reduce chemical use and lessen the environmental impact of agriculture, making agriculture sustainable.
Food Security
Synthetic seeds enable farmers to produce crops with uniform quality and quantity, ensuring food security for the growing world population.
Genetic diversity conservation
Synthetic seeds promote conservation of genetic diversity by reducing the area required for plant propagation, thereby conserving the wildlife reserves and biodiversity.
How are Synthetic Seeds Produced?
Synthetic Seeds are typically produced by sandwiching individual somatic embryos in a hydrogel matrix that reacts with air to form a seed-like coat. The hydrogel matrix contains nutrients and hormones required for the growth of seedlings. The seeds are then stored under controlled temperature and humidity until required for planting.
Applications of Synthetic Seed
Afforestation
Synthetic seed technology is a game-changer in the reforestation of deforested lands because it enables the easy propagation of high-value plant species which are otherwise difficult to grow from seeds.
Bioreactor Agriculture
Synthetic seed technology facilitates the mass-scale production of various plants used for medicinal purposes in bioreactors. Bioreactor agriculture is a sustainable alternative to promote bioactive molecules that help drug discovery for diseases that lack treatment options
Transgenic crops
Synthetic seed can be used for the production of transgenic crops, which are useful for enhancement of certain desirable traits of different crops, increased nutritional content and tolerance against pests and environmental stresses present in different environments.
Stress-Tolerant crops
Synthetic Seed technology is used for the propagation of genetically modified crops that can thrive in less desirable soil conditions such as salt-affected soils, soils with low nutrients, and arid regions.
Challenges in Production of Synthetic Seeds
Cost
Acquiring the necessary equipment for producing synthetic seeds can be expensive, and the cost is often passed on to the end consumer.
Quality Control
The quality of synthetic seeds can vary based on various factors, including environmental conditions during storage. Therefore, proper quality control measures must be in place to prevent premature seed germination or death
Legal issues
The use of synthetic seeds for growing crops is not legalized in every country and requires adherence to stringent regulations before approval for use in commercial crops.
Technical requirements
The production of Synthetic Seeds requires careful attention to environmental and technical parameters such as humidity and temperature during the storage of synthetic seeds, which can be sometimes unpredictable
Future Prospects of Synthetic Seed Technology
The future of Synthetic Seed technology holds a lot of potential. With an increasing demand for food production and concern for sustainability, there will be more significant investments in research and development activities to improve the technology. This technology can improve and lead the way for sustained global agriculture practices and biotechnology advancements.
Conclusion
As we make strides towards sustainable farming, Synthetic Seeds provide an exciting opportunity to increase crop yield, protect the environment, and safeguard genetic diversity. Despite challenges, synthetic seed technology has the potential to revolutionize agriculture and have a significant impact not only on agriculture but global sustainability.
