Encapsulation of black mulberry microcuttings: studies on capsules and synthetic seeds

The encapsulation technology for plant tissue culture can be an efficient tool to optimize the plant management systems and to preserve valuable plant germplasm. In this paper, two experiments were carried out to evaluate the encapsulation efficiency in mulberry (Morus nigra L.). In the first experiment, gel capsules were stored at 4°C for different times (0, 30, 90, 180 and 360 days). The highest percentage of shoot viability (82.5%) and regrowth (72.5%) was scored after 180 days of storage, with an average development of 2.5 shoots/capsule. The second experiment was aimed to point out an efficient protocol to turn the capsules of black mulberry in synthetic seeds ready to develop into who…