The sequence of the preparative procedures affects the success of cryostorage of cassava somatic embryos.

Cassava primary somatic embryos were prepared for cryostorage using both physical drying and cryoprotectant application stages. The effects of the sequence by which these preparative events were applied to the material was investigated. The drying of the somatic embryos before the application of the cryoprotectants resulted in a significantly higher viability after cryostorage than when the material was first exposed to the cryoprotectants and then dried. The impact of these preparative procedures on sub-cellular detail was monitored by means of transmission electron microscopy.