(i) Single Cell Protein:
The conventional practices of agriculture for the production of cereals, fruits vegetables, pulses etc. may not be able to meet the demand food at the rate at which the population is increasing. Also shift from grains to meet also creates more demand as for producing 1 kg of meat by animal farming, 3-10 kg of grain is used. So there is an alternate source of proteins for animal and human nutrition which is Single Cell Protein or SCP in which microbes are being grown at a large industrial scale as a good source of proteins.
Microbes like Spirulina are easy to grow as they can be grown on waste materials like waste water from potato processing plants (as they contain starch), molasses, animal manure and even sewage too to produce large quantities which can serve as food rich in protein, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins.
It has been estimated that 250g of microbes with a high rate of biomass production can produce approximately 25 tonnes of proteins per day.
(ii) Tissue Culture:
Tissue culture is in vitro culture of a plant cell, tissues, or organs. Totipotency is the basis for tissue culture. It is the ability of a plant cell to form the whole plant. Tissue culture involves in vitro cultivation of plant cells in an undifferentiated mass of cells called callus. The Callus then forms the complete plant.
Plant cells become differentiated and lose the ability to divide. The cells can be made to redivide by providing nutrient conditions and this ability to revert back to dividing form is called dedifferentiation which results in the formation of an undifferentiated mass of cells called callus. The callus then undergoes redifferentiation and forms the complete plant and this is also called regeneration.
Requirements of Plant Tissue Culture:
1. Nutrient media
2. Sterilized or aseptic conditions should be made.
3. Proper environmental conditions like temperature should be maintained.
4. Regular observation and evaluation of cultures are important so to as prevent contamination.