Test 1

Question 1

What are 4 benefits of biotech methods?

Answer 1

1. New and improved traits
2. Faster production time
3. Cheaper production cost
4. Can be more eco-friendly

Question 2

What’s a transgenic plant?

Answer 2

A plant that had a foreign gene or genes inserted into its DNA using genetic engineering techniques.

Question 3

How could you engineer a transgenic plant?

Answer 3

Agrobacterium tumefaciens
Direct DNA transfer ex. Gene gun

Question 4

What is micropropagation?

Answer 4

Method of plant propagation using extremely small pieces of plant tissue taken from a prepared mother plant, and growing these under lab conditions to produce new plants.

Question 5

What is an explant?

Answer 5

An excised piece of differentiated tissue or organ that is used to initiate growth in culture.

Question 6

How can we use Biotechnology to benefit agriculture?

Answer 6

Salinity tolerance
Pathogenic resistance
Improved nutrition (golden rice)
Reach max. Yield

Question 7

Explain the steps for micropropagation.

Answer 7

1. Choose plant material - explant
2. Place on proper growth medium
3. Plant tissue grows and differentiates into new tissues depending on the growth medium.
4. Multiplication - a single explant may produce hundreds or thousands of plants.
5. Pre-transplant - treat the plant-lets/shoots produced to encourage root growth in vitro.
6. Remove plant-lets from media and transfer to soil.

Question 8

What is endosperm?

Answer 8

Tissue found inside seeds that surround the embryo, inside the embryo sac. Usually contains starch with protein and other nutrients.

Question 9

What is Nucellus?

Answer 9

Central part of the ovule, which contains the embryo sac.

Question 10

What are some advantages of micropropagation?

Answer 10

• Inexpensive per plant once established
• Continuous propagation year-round
• Potential for disease-free propagules
• Rapid production of propagules

Question 11

What are some disadvantages of micropropagation?

Answer 11

• More technical expertise required
• Specialized facility and equipment required
• Protocols not optimized for all species
• Relatively expensive to set up

Question 12

What is acclimatization?

Answer 12

Process where plants functions and structures adjust from in vitro to ex vitro cultural and environmental conditions.

Question 13

What are two reasons micro-propagated plants may be difficult to acclimatize ex vitro?

Answer 13

1. Low photosynthetic competence
2. Poor control of water loss (raised with high humidity)

Question 14

What is Totipotency?

Answer 14

Plant cells retain the ability to change to a meristematic state and differentiate in to a whole plant if it has retained an intact membrane system and a viable nucleus.

Question 15

What is in vitro and in vivo?

Answer 15

In vitro - research done in a lab dish or test tube.
In vivo - research done on a living organism.

Question 16

Define friable callus and compact callus.

Answer 16

Friable - cells can be separated from each other easily to start new cultures.
Compact - cells are highly adherent to each other.

Question 17

What is the xylem and the phloem?

Answer 17

Xylem - distributes water and dissolved minerals upward through the plant, from roots to leaves.
Phloem - transports food (sugars) downward from the leaves to the roots.

Question 18

What is a big challenge of plant tissue culture? What can you do to overcome this challenge?

Answer 18

1. Contamination
2. Making sure to participate in aseptic techniques

Question 19

Name important aspects of plant cell culture.

Answer 19

1. Plant part of interest isolated from intact plant.
2. Appropriate environment to promote optimal growth discovered and applied.
3. Procedures must be carried out in a sterile environment to prevent growth of microorganisms.

Question 20

Media requirements differ depending on what factors?

Answer 20

• plant species
• culture type (cells, callus, organ, tissue (epidermis, vascular, ground), protoplast)
• purpose and objective of experiment

Question 21

What is callus?

Answer 21

A growing and dividing mass of cells that are undifferentiated and unorganized.
Hormones are added to promote differentiation.

Question 22

Provide functions of media.

Answer 22

• provide water
• provide minerals and nutritional needs (ex. Carbon source)
• provide vitamins
• provide growth regulators
• access to atmosphere for gas exchange
• removal of plant metabolic waste.

Question 23

Describe micro and macro elements.

Answer 23

Macroelements - elements required by plants in concentration GREATER than 0.5 mmol/L
Microelements - elements required in concentration LESS than 0.5 mmol/L

Question 24

What is one example of a macroelement?

Answer 24

Nitrogen

Question 25

What are 3 examples of microelements?

Answer 25

Iron
Zinc
Iodine

Question 26

What is somatic embryogenesis?

Answer 26

Reproductive organs forming from plant cells not normally involved in the development of embryos.

Question 27

What are the three stages of callus culture?

Answer 27

1. Induction
   - cells in explant dedifferentiate and begin to divide.
2. Proliferated stage
   - rapid cell division
3. Differentiation stage (sometimes)
   - organogenesis —> formation of organs.

Question 28

What is the optimal pH for in vitro?

Answer 28

5.0 to 6.0

Question 29

What is Auxin?

Answer 29

A plant hormone that causes the elongation of cells in shoots and is involved in regulating plant growth.

Question 30

What are cytokinins?

Answer 30

A group of plant growth regulators which are primarily involved in performing cell division in plant roots, shoot system.

Antioxidant - browning preventer

Question 31

List 5 media components.

Answer 31

1. Media base
2. Agar
3. Carbohydrate source
4. Antibiotics
5. Growth regulators or other supplements.

Question 32

Importance of callus culture.

Answer 32

• saves time and money to have a “stock” of cells to draw from.
• genetically modify callus cells then grow into whole plants.