Abstract :
Keywords: Pteridophyta; In vitro culture; Plug seedling; Sodium alginate; Sporophyte Abstract Matteuccia struthiopteris (L.) Tod. is one of the edible ferns consumed globally. However, efficient M. struthiopteris propagation methods have not been developed, and current cultivation methods based on rhizomes are labor-intensive. The aim of the present study was to investigate the optimal in vitro and ex vitro conditions for the mass propagation of M. struthiopteris through SFG (synthetic seeds using fern gametophyte) technology. In vitro gametophyte proliferation experiments were carried out using 0.2 g of homogenized gametophyte cultured in modified MS medium (full-strength MS, 3% sucrose, 0.8% activated charcoal, 60 mM total nitrogen, 0.8% agar, and pH 5.8) for 8 wk, which yielded the highest fresh weight. Synthetic seed technology was then applied to develop an efficient cultivation method using mass-proliferated gametophytes. In addition, the concentration of sodium alginate (1--4%) and gametophyte density (2, 5, 7, and 10 g*100 mL.sup.--1) suitable for SFG production were confirmed. When 2 g gametophytes were encapsulated with 2% sodium alginate, they formed uniform spherical bead shapes and had relatively high rates of sporophyte formation. The addition of gibberellic acid (GA.sub.3) increased the percentage of sporophytes formed and the number of sporophytes per SFG. SFG production facilitated M. struthiopteris plug seedling growth and sporophyte production, and the method could be applied as an alternative to conventional cultivation methods. Author Affiliation: (1) Division of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National University, 28644, Cheongju, Republic of Korea (2) Brain Korea 21 Center for Bio-Health Industry, Chungbuk National University, 28644, Cheongju, Republic of Korea (3) Garden and Plant Resources Division, Korea National Arboretum, 11186, Pocheon, Republic of Korea (d) jsc@chungbuk.ac.kr (e) leech@chungbuk.ac.kr Article History: Registration Date: 07/27/2022 Received Date: 03/24/2022 Accepted Date: 07/26/2022 Online Date: 11/01/2022 Byline: