The morphology of Ensete Embryo in vitro culture.

The general morphological structure of Ensete embryo and the initial stage of its transformation into seedlings was investigated. The major morphological features of the embryo are its axis and the scutellum. The latter is composed of the scutellar arm that connects it to the embryo axis and the haustorium, which is occurred during differentiation of the embryho into a seedling were the4 elongation of the scutellar arm, enlargement of the hypocoty-epicotyl axis, and a selling of the haustorium part of the scutellum. Embryos were cultured in a simple, semi-soiled (10) medium as modified by cox, et. al (3). Results were relatively better when the sugar and agar content were reduced to 0.5 percent. Those embryos preincubated for 15 to 20 minutes in 4ppm of sodium salt of GA3 (10% active) had additional swelling and an elongation of the hypoctylepictyl axis. Concentration of GA3 salt is higher than 4ppm depressed both differentiation, and callus growth. The genus Ensete is a herbaceous monocot that is cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa and Asia. Ensat resembles the banana so much that many authors include both in the same genus, Musa. However, Cheesman (2) separated ensat from banana on the basis of differences in pseudstem morphology and chromosome numbers. Other classified it as monocarpic whereas Musa is not (7). Ensat has been cultivated in Ethiopia for many years as a major staple food by about six million people (10. There are eight species of the genus known and only two of these are of economic importance. These are E.ventricosum, and E edule. And yet no attempt has been made to study morphological relationship between these and other related species to date. Furthermore, research information on the morphology of the embryo of ensat and other related genus is too scanty. Ensat is generally propagated asexually (10) which consequently eliminated the possibility to study the morphology of the embryo. Apparently attempts have been made to elucidate the structure of the embryo of the family of Musaceae by some researchers (5,4,8). However, the only available information in vitro culture of the embryo of Musaceae is the investigation made by Cox et. al (3). They all concluded that the embryo is Musaceae has a mushroom-shaped structure and includes: a haustorium _ a laroe cup-like structure; a stalk which terminates into epicotyl _ hypxotyl axis; and a colyledonary sheet. The primary objective of this study was to study the morphological development of the ensat embryo in vitro culture. The media contains a different concentration of gib berellic and that have a stimulatory effect on stem elongation. Thus it is the utmost hope of the author that the result of this study could also be useful for an easy production of (seedlings) plantlets by culturing embryos for the subsequent multiplication of a given strain free from diseases.