Desiccation is necessary to normalize subsequent germination and development from soybean somatic embryos. The embryos below are of the same age and genotype. Those on the right were desiccated for 7 days, while those on the left were not:
For more information, see:
N. Hammatt and M. R. Davey. 1987. Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration from cultured zygotic embryos of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.). J.Plant Physiol. 128:219-226.
W. A. Parrott, G. Dryden, S. Vogt, D. F. Hildebrand, G. B. Collins, and E. G. Williams. 1988. Optimization of somatic embryogenesis and embryo germination in soybean. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol. 24:817-820.
J. A. Buchheim, S. M. Colburn, and J. P. Ranch. 1989. Maturation of soybean somatic embryos and the transition to plantlet growth. Plant Physiol. 89:768-775.