variation and evolution - cloning plants

Question 1

advantage of cloning plants

Answer 1

the clones is genetically identical to the original plant so we know the clones characteristics (eg colour of flowers). if we used seeds, which are produced by sexual reproduction then all offspring will be different

Question 2

how are plants cloned by taking cuttings?

Answer 2

a small piece of plant removed and end dipped in rooting powder that contains plant hormones and encourages plant to develop roots. by taking cuttings, we produce genetically identical clones to the starter plant.
this method works well if we just want a few clones from a plant

Question 3

how are plants cloned to get hundreds of clones? explain method

Answer 3

by tissue culture.
we take a plant that we want to clones and i die the plant into hundreds of tiny pieces. each of the pieces contains a small number of cells. these small groups of cells are then incubated with plant hormones which stimulate the plants to grow and develop into fully grown clones.
conditions for tissue culture must be sterile because we don’t want to introduce any microorganisms like bacteria or fungi.

Question 4

where is tissue culture extremely useful?

Answer 4

• in commercial plant nurseries. it allows growers to produce thousands of genetically identical plants quickly and cheaply. because all plants are clones, gardeners are certain they will get the characteristics they want eg flower colour
• also used to preserve rare species of plants