commercial use of micropropagation Flashcards
5.18B
advantages of micropropagation?
allows a variety of a plant with desirable characteristics to be produced
cheaply
with a greater yield
quickly
at any time of year
identical to each other (they keep the desired characteristics
disease free or resistant plants can be bred
what does micropropagation also allow? (diseases)
ensures diseases prevalent in other areas of the world are not imported and spread by ensuring native varieties of plants are produced in large enough quantities to supply demand in one country without importing plants from abroad
what can tissue culture be important for?
preserving rare plant species
what are the disadvantages of micropropagation?
trained personnel and sterile laboratory is needed
all the plants produced are genetically identical and will be vulnerable to the same diseases and pests (the lack of genetic variation makes them less able to adapt to environmental change)