METHOD OF DIRECTIONALLY ORIENTING PLANT EMBRYOS

摘要

The invention is a method of ordering plant embryos so that a specified end of the embryo is always oriented in a predetermined direction. The embryos are preferably first fairly rapidly descciated to about 15 % moisture content. They are then suspended in a benign liquid flotation medium having a density in the range of about 1.059-1.104 g/cm3. The density must be adjusted empirically so that a predominant number of viable embryos will float and nonviable embryos will sink. In at least the case of conifer somatic embryos, they will float with the end bearing the latent cotyledons upward. After sufficient separation time in the flotation medium the oriented embryos are swept by a flowing liquid stream into a conduit. They enter cotyledon end first and are then carried to a delivery point without losing that orientation. Here they are separated from the transporting medium. The embryos, still positioned cotyledon end first, may then be picked up by robotic or other means for further processing, such as insertion into an artificial seed.