Plant tissue produced by non-agricultural proliferation of cacao embryos

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 4301619
  • Patent Number
    4,301,619
  • Date Filed
    Friday, January 11, 1980
    45 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 24, 1981
    43 years ago
Abstract
This invention is a non-agricultural method for producing cotyledons of those plant species whose cotyledons have commercial value for the manufacture of useful products or for direct use as foodstuffs such as Theobroma cacao L. (cacao). The method involves three (3) distinct steps, namely, (1) proliferation of embryos by asexual embryogenesis through in vitro culture using a defined media; (2) the growth of the embryos in vitro in a media that will prevent premature germination, and (3) harvest of the in vitro-grown cotyledonary tissue.
Description
Claims
  • 1. Cotyledonary tissues of asexual embryos produced by the following steps:
  • (A) proliferation of immature zygotic cacao embryos in a basal medium in the presence of a growth enhancer whereby asexual embryos are initiated upon said zygotic embryos; and
  • (B) growing said asexual embryos in vitro in a basal medium;
  • (C) harvesting the cotyledonary tissue of said asexual embryos.
  • 2. An asexual embryo capable of forming cotyledonous tissue produced by the following steps:
  • (A) proliferation of immature zygotic cacao embryos in a basal medium in the presence of a growth enhancer whereby asexual embryos are initiated upon said zygotic embryos; and
  • (B) growing said asexual embryos in vitro in a basal medium.
RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 951,267, filed Oct. 13, 1978 and entitled "A Method of Non-Agricultural Production of Cotyledons (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,366)." This invention relates to a living plant tissue which is produced by in vitro culture of embroys of cacao. A research report by Brent H. Tisserat, Edward B. Esan and Toshio Murashige entitled "Asexual Embryogenesis in Angiosperms" is the most recent and exhaustive report on asexual embryogenesis in vitro known to applicants. A section of that report states: Their Table 2 purports to be a complete survey and does include a few cotyledoneous explants, but there is at least one significant omission, namely, cacao, and a further section of the report, entitled "Morphological Aspects of Asexual Embryogeny in Vitro" makes it apparent that the authors have described the current state of the art solely in terms of its agricultural impact, namely, the aspect of plant reproducibility, and not in any sense have they related embryogenesis to the use to which it is put by applicants. The authors state their conclusion to be:

US Referenced Citations (1)
Number Name Date Kind
4204366 Janick May 1980
Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 951267 Oct 1978