Merits of artificial or synthetic seed are listed below.
- Easy handling – during storage, transportation and planting, as these are of small size.
- Inexpensive transport – reason behind is small size.
- Storage life – much longer, seed viability remains good for longer time period.
- Product uniformity – as somatic embryos used are genetically identical.
- To avoid extinction of endangered species – e. g. in hedgehog cacti (Echinocereus sp.)
- Large scale propagation – very much suitable for large scale monoculture.
- Mixed genotype plantations – suitable for this too, as for monoculture.
- Germplasm conservation – important in germplasm conservation.
- Elite plant genotypes – artificial seed technology preserves / protects and permits economical mass propagation of elite plant genotypes.
- Not a season dependent technology
- Permits direct field use – rooting, hardening is necessary as it is in tissue culture plants. It permits direct field sowing.
- Facilitates study of seed coat formation, function of endosperm in embryo development and seed germination, somaclonal variation.
- Supply of beneficial adjuvants – beneficial adjuvants like plant nutrients, plant growth regulators, microorganisms, fungicides, mycorrhizae, antibiotics can be made available to the developing plant embryo as per the requirement as these can be added in to the matrix.
- Propagation of plants unable to produce viable seeds.
- Hybrid production – synthetic seed production technology can be used for production of hybrids which have unstable genotypes or show seed sterility. It can be used in combination with embryo rescue technique. The rescued embryo can be encapsulated with this technique.