Use of immature seed germination technique as an alternative to in vitro culture of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) embryos

The importance of developing new techniques that would simplify the complexity and operative costs of genetic breeding plans has been widely recognized. In that sense, germination from immature seeds in sunflower is a simpler and cheaper alternative to that of in vitro embryo culture, as it is produced in non-sterile conditions. Different techniques to maximize germination percentage were tested using 15 day old seeds. The results indicate that it was important: 1) to scarify seeds and 2) to soak them in 100 ppm of gibberellic acid for 1 hour. Through the application of this technique more than 94% of the seeds germinated.