Effects Of Ultrasound On Somatic Embryogenesis And Artificial Seed Production In Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.)

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), is one of the most important and broadly used vegetables in the world. Ultrasound is widely used in medicine and biotechnology. At the right frequency and exposure period, these waves have desired effects. In the present study, 2-week-old plants, obtained from the seeds of cucumber, were put in an ultrasonic bath with a nominal frequency of 40 kHz, a central frequency of 34/722 kHz and a bandwidth of 320 Hz for 0, 5, 10 and 15 minutes.Then, hypocotyl pieces were used as explants. To obtain appropriate conditions for callus formation, the explants were placed in Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l each of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 1-Naphthalene acetic acid and 6-Benzylaminopurine. The mature somatic embryos at the torpedo stage were isolated and encapsulated using sodium alginate to produce artificial seeds. The seeds were transferred to the greenhouse and turned into plants. The use of ultrasonication at a nominal frequency of 40 kHz for 10 minutes showed better results as compared with the samples treated for 0, 5 and 15 minutes, in terms of the shape, maturity of the embryos, and also the germination of artificial seeds and maturing to flowering stages. Since the cucumber variety Dastgerd Esfahan is famous for its aroma and taste and it is somewhat at risk of extinction, we studied the production of artificial seeds of this plant. According to the literature review, there is no study on the effects of ultrasound on embryogenesis and artificial seed production in cucumber.