It is often desirable to plant large numbers of genetically identical plants that have been selected to have advantageous properties, but in many cases it is not feasible to produce such plants using standard breeding techniques. In vitro culture of somatic or zygotic plant embryos can be used to produce large numbers of genetically identical embryos that have the capacity to develop into normal plants. However, the resulting embryos lack the protective and nutritive structures found in natural botanic seeds that shelter the plant embryo inside the seed from the harsh soil environment and nurture the embryo during the critical stages of sowing and germination. Attempts have been made to provide such protective and nutritive structures by using manufactured seeds, but so far germination from manufactured seeds is less successful than from natural seeds. There remain large differences between manufactured seeds and corresponding natural seeds. Whereas the embryo relies on the megagametophyte for nutrients useful for germination, the embryo in a manufactured seed relies on the nutritive medium that is provided in the manufactured seed.
Therefore, there is a need for generating improved nutritive medium that is useful for improving rates of conversion for manufactured seeds containing somatic embryos to provide a large number of normal germinants. The present invention addresses this and other needs.