Tissue Culture (Micropropagation)

Question 1

1.

Answer 1

Piece of shoot tip taken (explant) and sterilised.

Question 2

2.

Answer 2

Explant placed on sterile nutrient growth medium where it grows into mass of undifferentiated cells (callus).

Question 3

3.

Answer 3

Single cells divided from callus after few weeks and placed on sterile growth medium containing plant hormones that stimulate shoot growth.

Question 4

4.

Answer 4

Growing shoots are transferred to new sterile medium containing different hormones that stimulate root growth,

Question 5

5.

Answer 5

New plants are transferred to a greenhouse and then later planted outside.

Question 6

Advantages

Answer 6

Plant production is very rapid, all plants have genetic information allowing them to survive in the same conditions, all plants have desirable traits, the crop matures at the same time so can be harvested together.

Question 7

Disadvantages

Answer 7

All plants susceptible to pests and disease, can be wiped out by an environmental change so its important to maintain different varieties of plant crops which are genetically different and have traits to meet future needs, labour intensive and expensive.