INSIGHTS INTO THE EMBRYO RESCUE - A MODERN IN-VITRO CROP IMPROVEMENT APPROACH IN HORTICULTURE

Long juvenility, seedlessness, embryo abortion, seed dormancy, low seed viability, cross and self- incompatibility etc. are important hurdles exhibit in breeding of Horticultural crops. Among this, post- zygotic embryo abortion in distant hybridization has emerge as an important biological constraints in conventional crops improvement approach. Embryo rescue is a non-GM biotechnological in vitro technique that has become an aspect for breeder and cytogenecists to achieve hybrid in interspecific and intergeneric hybridization where embryo abortion, degeneration, self and cross-incompatibilty are commonly witnessed post crosses leads to drastic failure in transferring of desirable genes from wild species to elite cultivar. Seedless parents don’t produce fertile seeds without which creation of variation and subsequently developing desirable traits in crop plants is very limited. Adjoining to this heavy fruits drop, seed dormancy etc. are major constraint exist in Horticultural crops which can be overcome by adoption of embryo rescue and culturing technique. However, embryo recovery without injury, standardizing a feasible nutrient medium, initiating and continuing embryonic development, growth and development of seedling always decide the success percentage of embryo rescue technique. Embryo culture is also indispensable technique to conserve germplasm, test seeds viability, and develop monoploid, triploid, synthetic seeds, biotic and abiotic stresses tolerate/ resistant varieties.