Scientists at the Da Lat Institute of Biology have successfully produced artificial seeds. This promises to open a new avenue for agricultural production in Vietnam.
Traditionally, seeds are harvested from fruit trees and fields after collection. These are sexual seeds, created through the pollination process in crops.
However, these seeds are not found in the usual gardens or fields but rather in the laboratory. These are orchid seeds created directly in the lab using asexual seed production methods. The idea of producing artificial seeds was conceived three years ago. Yet, it is only now that the scientists at the Da Lat Institute of Biology have confirmed their success.
Dr. Duong Tan Nhat from the Da Lat Institute of Biology stated, “Imagine, to create an appealing cake, a baker must knead the dough, roll the filling, and then steam it… Similarly, in the lab, scientists must carry out every step, and in the end, they obtain the seeds. The key here is that these seeds have a high germination rate – which is crucial for the success of this scientific idea.”
Scientists at the Da Lat Institute of Biology have been able to sow these artificial seeds in a natural environment rather than just in test tubes. This is a significant achievement, as in the scientific community, artificial seeds have typically only germinated and produced plants within test tubes. Here, after sowing the artificial seeds, seedlings emerge, which are then planted in gardens. There is no noticeable difference between plants grown from artificial seeds and those from traditional sexual seeds.
There are valid reasons why scientists have invested significant efforts in creating artificial seeds. The production of artificial seeds could potentially lead to industrial-scale cultivation. More importantly, artificial seeds serve as a means to preserve the best traits of plant varieties. There are hopes that this method will facilitate the maintenance of a bank for rare and valuable seeds.
The new flower seeds are just an initial result. Once artificial flower seeds are produced, scientists will continue to find ways to artificially produce seeds for many other types of crops.
