Somatic embryos of cyclamen [Cyclamen persicum Mill.] were produced using a liquid culture system. Two encapsulation techniques, conventional alginate beads and alginate hollow beads, were tested for globular cyclamen somatic embryos with the aim of developing synthetic seeds. Final germination from alginate beads was as high as observed for non encapsulated control embryos (97%), but germination was delayed. In contrast, germination from hollow beads was lower (71%) and occurred later. In hollow beads somatic embryos developed within the capsule, and outgrowth seemed to be more difficult than from alginate. Storage at 4 ° C for four weeks resulted in a reduction of viability for controls as well as for encapsulated embryos. Incorporation of medium into the capsules improved the speed of germination for both capsule types. However, somatic embryos were not able to germinate on a medium-free support, even if encapsulated in beads containing medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]