Question

Explant is disinfected before it is placed in the culture. This is done by ____________.

• A. Autoclaving
• B. Ultra - violet rays
• C. Clorax or hypochlorite
• D. X - rays

Answer 1

The correct option is C Clorax or hypochlorite

• The plant part which is used for the culture is known as explant.
• It is required to be disinfected before placing in culture because living plant materials from the environment are naturally contaminated on their surfaces with microorganisms, which inhibits the growth and utilize the nutrients provided for the plants in the media for their growth as they have the ability to multiply fast, so they are treated with the chemicals like Clorox or hypochlorite.
• The chemical treatment makes the plant sterile.
• The process of treating the explant with chemicals is known as surface sterilization.
• The process like autoclaving, treatment with ultraviolet and X rays kills the cells of the explant due to denaturation of proteins of the plasma membrane of the cells of explant on exposure to heat or radiation.