Africa
January 10, 2005
Source:
Science, Vol 307,
Issue 5706, 47-49 , 7 January 2005 via
SciDev.Net
Many plants used for
traditional medicine in Africa are endangered because of over
harvesting, so researchers are seeking ways to conserve the
species in seed banks.
Conventional seed storage
relies on drying or freezing to protect seeds from fungal
infection and prevent them from germinating. But many African
medicinal plants produce 'recalcitrant' seeds, which do not
respond well to such methods.
In this essay in Science,
Patricia Berjak of South Africa's University of KwaZulu-Natal
relates some of her experiences during 30 years of research on
seeds and seed storage.
One promising approach to the
problem of recalcitrant seeds, says Berjak, is to remove the
'embryonic axis' — the portion of a seed that gives rise to the
root and shoot of a new plant — and preserve it separately it
from the rest of the seed. This method could, she believes, be
used to create artificial seeds, in which the embryonic axis is
stored in a gel.
Link to full essay in Science |