Question

Name the technology used in micropropagation of plants. Write the genetic significance of the plants raised through this technique . Give two examples where this technology is commercially exploited.

Answer 1

Micropropagation is the practice of rapidly multiplying stock plant material to produce a large number of progeny plants, using modern plant tissue culture methods. Micropropagation is used to multiply plants such as those that have been genetically modified or bred through conventional plant breeding methods. The technique of micropropagation provides a good alternative for those plant species that show resistance to practices of conventional bulk propagation. Plant tissue in small amounts is sufficient for the production of millions of clones in a year using micropropagation.

Examples of micropropagation:

• Plants important to developing countries that have been grown in tissue culture are oil palm, plantain, pine, banana, date, eggplant, jojoba, pineapple, rubber tree, cassava, yam, sweet potato, and tomato.
• A new rice plant type is produced for West Africa (NERICA – New Rice for Africa) resulting from embryo rescue of wide crosses made between Asian rice (Oryza sativa) and African rice (Oryza glaberrima) followed by anther culture of the hybrids to stabilize breeding lines.