Beneficial effect of post -thawing osmoconditioning on the recovery of cryopreserved coffee (Coffea arabica L.) seeds.
Osmoconditioning-controlled rehydration of seeds in a solution with low osmotic potential -has been shown to reinvigorate aged seeds. The present work aimed at investigating the effect of osmoconditioning on the germination of cryopreserved seeds of Coffea arabica, whose viability and vigour are drastically affected by cryopreservation. For cryopreservation, seeds were desiccated to 0.21 g H2O/g dw, cooled at 1 degree C/min to -50 degree C, then immersed rapidly in liquid nitrogen. After rapid rewarming, seeds were osmoconditioned for 1 to 6 weeks using solutions with osmotic potentials between -1 and -4 MPa. The time to produce half of the final percentage of normal seedlings, T50, was about three fold lower with osmoconditioned seeds than with non-osmoconditioned seeds (12-14 d vs 36 d). Moreover, after a 6-week osmoconditioning treatment with solutions with osmotic potential of -1 and -1.25 MPa, the percentage of seedlings recovered from cryopreserved seeds was 64-74%, against 13-16% only for cryopreserved seeds which were not osmoconditioned.
Dussert
S
S
IRD (previously ORSTOM), 911 Av. d'Agropolis, BP 5045, F34032 Montpellier, France.
Chabrillange
N
N
Vasquer
N
N
Engelmann
F
F
Anthony
F
F
Guyot
A
A
Hamon
S
S