Is long term storage of forest seeds possible?

B. Krishnapillay, . and Marzalina Mansor, . and Yap, S. K. (1991) Is long term storage of forest seeds possible? In: Malaysian forestry and forest products research: proceedings of the conference. Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, pp. 66-78. ISBN 967-9991-563

A very large number of the tropical timber species produce seeds that are recalcitrant in nature. While orthodox seeds are those that can tolerate desiccation and freezing temperatures, recalcitrant seeds are highly intolerant to freezing and killed if their moisture content are reduced below some relatively high critical value (12-31%). While storage methods for orthodox seds are well established, very little attention has been given to the storage of recalcitrant seeds. In the last half century, many different methods of storage have been proposed for the long term storage of recalcitrant seeds but without exception none have been found applicable. At best, truly recalcitrant seeds can hardly be stored for a year. As such, their long term conservation-in gene banks is not yet a practical proposition. This paper discusses briefly the current storage methods available including their limitations, and highlights the use of cryogenic storage (-196C) as a new technique for the long term storage of embryos of recalcitrant seeds. The use of excised embryos of an Artocarpus species to develop the protocol for cryopreservation is presented as a case study here. The paper also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of this procedure and some preliminary results on the use of this protocol for the storage of embryos of Dryobalanops aromatica, a timber species. The paper concludes by looking at the cost effectiveness of the technique and its potential as a tool in future forest management.

Full text available from:

Abstract

A very large number of the tropical timber species produce seeds that are recalcitrant in nature. While orthodox seeds are those that can tolerate desiccation and freezing temperatures, recalcitrant seeds are highly intolerant to freezing and killed if their moisture content are reduced below some relatively high critical value (12-31%). While storage methods for orthodox seds are well established, very little attention has been given to the storage of recalcitrant seeds. In the last half century, many different methods of storage have been proposed for the long term storage of recalcitrant seeds but without exception none have been found applicable. At best, truly recalcitrant seeds can hardly be stored for a year. As such, their long term conservation-in gene banks is not yet a practical proposition. This paper discusses briefly the current storage methods available including their limitations, and highlights the use of cryogenic storage (-196C) as a new technique for the long term storage of embryos of recalcitrant seeds. The use of excised embryos of an Artocarpus species to develop the protocol for cryopreservation is presented as a case study here. The paper also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of this procedure and some preliminary results on the use of this protocol for the storage of embryos of Dryobalanops aromatica, a timber species. The paper concludes by looking at the cost effectiveness of the technique and its potential as a tool in future forest management.

[error in script]

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	Available at Perpustakaan Sultan Abdul Samad, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. SD235 M3M239 Call Number
AGROVOC Term:	plant embryos
AGROVOC Term:	forest management
AGROVOC Term:	seed storage
AGROVOC Term:	cryopreservation
AGROVOC Term:	forest managers
AGROVOC Term:	keeping quality
AGROVOC Term:	seed viability
Geographical Term:	Malaysia
Depositing User:	Nor Hasnita Abdul Samat
Date Deposited:	27 Aug 2025 02:03
Last Modified:	27 Aug 2025 02:03
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1033

Actions (login required)

View Item