The production of new plants from special tissues in the synthetic nutritive medium containing plant nutrients and plant hormones is called tissue culture or micro propagation.
In this technique some plant cells or plant tissues are taken from the meristamatic regions of the plants and put into the culture solution taken in a beaker under favourable and controlled conditions. Culture solution is a special solution containing essential nutrients and plant hormones, in which the tissues are grown. The plant cells grow rapidly in the culture medium and get converted into a group of cells called ‘callus’. The callus thus produced is shifted in other beakers containing suitable hormones. These hormones induce the growth of root and shoot system in the callus. In this way the callus is converted into a tiny plantlet. This plantlet is then shifted in the soil where it grows into a full plant.
Test Your Understanding and Answer These Questions:
- What is callus?
- What is tissue culture technique?
- Explain the process of tissue culture.