the process of micropropagation

Question 1

what is tissue culture?

Answer 1

very small (micro) pieces of plants (tissues) are grown (cultured) using nutrient media

Question 2

why do we say they are grown “in vitro”?

Answer 2

they are initially grown in petri dishes on nutrient agar

Question 3

how to propagate plants?

Answer 3

by taking cuttings from leaves, roots or stems

Question 4

why is tissue culture or micropropagation useful?

Answer 4

useful for plants that are difficult to propagate by seeds or cuttings

Question 5

how to micro propagate plants in vitro?

Answer 5

cells are scraped from the parent plant (explants)
the surface of the explants are sterilised using a disinfectant followed by a rinse with sterile water
sterilised explants are transferred to a sterile petri dish containing sterile nutrient agar
the growth medium encourages the explant cells to grow and divide into small masses of cells (known as callus)
each callus is transferred to a fresh growth medium that contains a range of plant growth regulators (hormones)- the presence of these hormones cause the callus to develop roots, stems and leaves, forming a plantlet
plantlets can be transferred to individual potting trays and develop into plants

Question 6

what are gene banks?

Answer 6

seeds of all different varieties are kept- in case breeders may want to use them in years to come