Question

How are plants cloned using micropropagation?

Answer 1

Micropropagation:

1. Micropropagation is the process of producing plants vegetatively through cell culture or tissue culture techniques.
2. This technique is used to produce a large number of identical plants (clones) from a selected stock plant.
3. Plants can reproduce asexually from the meristem because they are undifferentiated cells capable of indeterminate development.

Involves five different methods:

There are 5 different methods involved in the process of making a plant clone:

A. Callus culture:

1. Callus cultures are often broadly classified as being either compact or friable.
2. Compact calluses are usually green and firm
3. Friable calluses range in color from white to creamy yellow.
4. Friable calluses are easily detached.
5. It can be used to generate cell suspension cultures and somatic embryos.

B. Embryo culture:

1. Embryo culture is a type of plant tissue culture used to develop embryos from seeds and eggs in a nutrient medium.
2. In embryo culture, the plant develops directly from the embryo or indirectly through the formation of the callus.
3. Then later through the formation of shoots and roots.

C. Meristem culture:

1. In vitro meristem culture is used to eliminate the virus.
2. It is related to pathogens from a large number of vegetatively propagated plants.
3. It is the main method used in plant virus eradication programs.

D. Suspension culture:

1. In this type of culture, single cells or cell aggregates multiply or divide when agitated in a liquid medium.
2. Suspension cultures of single cells help to understand plant growth and development processes.

E. Protoplast culture:

1. In protoplast culture, protoplasts are isolated from any plant part, including roots, shoots, leaves, or embryos.
2. These isolated parts are cultured in artificial media under artificial conditions to favor cell division and regeneration of plants.