Plant Tissue Culture

It refers to culture or growing the plant tissues. Plant tissue culture is developed as a separate branch of science - ever since the potentiality of each cell or tissue of plant to grow into a separate organism has been recognised. Tissue culture technique has opened up new opportunities in evolving new hybrids/varieties, besides solving many difficult problems - conventionally difficult to tackle by other known methods. In a sense, tissue culture technique has created a revolution in agricultural research.

Essentially, plant tissue culture involves separation of cells or tissues of plants and growing them in aseptic conditions, providing suitable nutrients medium under controlled temperature and light. Such conditions can be achieved in laboratory conditions. The excised parts of tissues (called explants) grow into a whole plants when they are nurtured with sucrose, some micronutrients, few vitamins as well as suitable hormones at proper time of culture. Normally, excised tissue grows into unorganised mass of cells called callus (organogenesis) which is activated to grow into separate organism by suitable mixture of cytokinins and auxins. The success in tissue culture depends upon

a) the precision and length of asceptic condition

b) source of explants

c) compositions and concentrations of nutrients media

d) time and dosage of hormones supplied

e) light, temperature and humidity maintained.

As a young, developing and highly potential science, tissue culture has grown into a separate branch by itself. It requires knowledge from various branches like microbiology, biochemistry, histology, plant physiology and plant breeding.

Plant tissue culture has made significant contribution in the field of crop improvement. Some of them are:

i) micro propagation

ii) production of disease free plants

iii) production of haploids

iv) embryo culture

v) mutation and mutants

vi) creation of variations

vii) protoplast culture.