Applications of Tissue Culture - Plant Breeding Flashcards
what is micropropagation?
Micropropagation is the growth of large numbers of plants from very small plant pieces, often simply from plant tissues or cells.
The growth of large numbers of plants from very small plant pieces, often simply from plant tissues or cells is known as what?
Micropropagation
Explain how micropropagation is carried out? (3)
A desirable plant is cut into many small pieces (containing from one to a few thousand cells).
The cells are grown or cultured in a laboratory on a suitable medium.
In time they form a clump of similar cells called a callus.
During micropropagation, what do the cells form in time?
In time they form a clump of similar cells called a callus.
What must be changed once a callus has formed and why?
The growing conditions are then changed so that the callus continues to grow.
Once the growing conditions are changed what happens to the callus?
After some time a young plant embryo and then a young plant is formed.
The formation of a new plant from a single cell or a small number of cells in this way show what?
It shows that each nucleus has all the genes or instructions necessary to form an entire adult organism.
What are the benefits of micropropagation? (3)
- A large number of plants are produced in a short time.
- The plants grown in this way are genetically identical.
- It is an inexpensive way to produce large numbers of similar plants.
