Plant cloning Module 6

Question 1

What is cloning?

Answer 1

The process of producing genetically identical cells or organisms from the cells of an existing organism

Question 2

What’s vegetative propagation?

Answer 2

Is the production of plant clones from non-reproductive tissues eg.roots, leaves or stems

Question 3

5 Examples of natural vegetative propagation?

Answer 3

Rhizomes
Stolons/runners
Suckers
Tubers
Bulbs

Rat sucks sausage to breathe

Question 4

What are Rhizomes?

Answer 4

They are stem structures that grow horizontally underground away from parent plant. They have “nodes” from which new shoots and roots can develop

Question 5

Example of a plant using Rhizomes?

Answer 5

Bamboo

Question 6

What are stolons/runners?

Answer 6

Same as Rhizomes except they grow above the ground, and roots and shoots can develop on nodes and at the end of the stolon

Question 7

Example of a plant which has stolons/runners?

Answer 7

Strawberries

Question 8

What are suckers?

Answer 8

Shoots that grow from sucker buds (undeveloped shoots), present on the shallow roots of a parent plant

Question 9

Example of a plant with suckers?

Answer 9

Elm trees

Question 10

What are tubers?

Answer 10

Large underground plant structures that act as a food store for the plant, they are covered in eyes, and each eye is able to sprout and form a new plant

Question 11

What plant has tubers?

Answer 11

Potatoes

Question 12

What are bulbs?

Answer 12

Underground food stores

New bulbs are able to develop from the original bulb and form new individual plants

Question 13

Example of plant with bulbs?

Answer 13

Onions

Question 14

How do you produce a clone from a cutting?

Answer 14

Using scalpel take a cutting from end of stem from parent plant
Remove leaves from lower end of cutting
Dip lower end in rooting powder, that contains hormones that induce root formation
Plant cutting in a pot that contains growth medium
Provide cutting with warm and moist environment by putting plastic bag on it, or put in a propagator

Question 15

How can you artificially clone plants using tissue culture?

Answer 15

Cells are taken from original plant that’s going to be cloned
Cells from stem and root tips used because they are stem cells, and can develop into any type of cell
Cells are sterilised to kill any microorganisms
Cells are placed on culture medium containing nutrients and growth hormones
Once cells have divided and grown into a small plant they are planted in soil
Will be genetically identical to the original plant

Question 16

Why are stem cells sterilised to kill any microorganisms?

Answer 16

Because other bacteria and fungi would compete for nutrients with plant cells, decreasing their growth rate

Question 17

When is tissue culture used to clone plants?

Answer 17

On plants that don’t readily produce
Endangered/rare plants
Grow whole plants from genetically engineered plant cells

Question 18

What’s micropropagation?

Answer 18

When tissue culture is used to produce lots of cloned plants very quickly

Question 19

Arguments for Plant cloning?

Answer 19

Desirable genetic characteristics always passed on
In tissue culture, plants to be reproduced in any season, and less space is required than normal planting
Produces lots of plants quickly compared to time taken to grow them with seeds

Question 20

Arguments against artificial plant cloning?

Answer 20

Undesirable genetic characteristics always passed on
Cloned plant populations have no genetic variability so a single disease could kill them
Production costs high as high energy use and skilled workers required
Contamination of tissue culture can be very bad there is complete loss of the batch