The present study aimed at developing a method for plant regeneration from alginate-encapsulated shoot tips of Casimairoa edulis. Shoot tips excised from in vitro proliferated shoots were encapsulated in calcium alginate beads. The best composition was achieved using 3% sodium alginate and 100 mM calcium chloride (CaCl2. 2H2O). The survival and regrowth percentages of encapsulation shoot tips decreased gradually with increasing storage duration at 4oC. Encapsulated shoot tip could be stored at low temperature (4oC) up to 12 weeks with a survival and regrowth frequency of 46.67 and 40.00%, respectively. Supplementing the alginate matrix with three concentrations of salicylic acid (25, 50 and 75 µM) was found to have pronounced effect on the survival and regrowth percentages. The survival and regrowth percentage of encapsulated shoot tips with salicylic acid at concentrations of 25, 50 and 75 µM increased to 65, 80 and 60%, respectively after 12 weeks. The best salicylic acid effect was achieved using the concentration of 50 µM. The represented synthetic seed technique could be useful in large-scale propagation as well as short-term conservation, germplasm distribution and exchange of C. edulis.
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