Plant Tissue Culture

Plant Tissue Culture became a new addition to the Plant breeding strategies that emerged around the 1950s. Tissue Culture emerged as a significant advancement in breeding methods when traditional breeding techniques failed to meet the demands of crops. It utilizes Plant components to produce several clones of the original Plant quickly. The method takes advantage of a Plant’s totipotency, which allows any cell from any section of the Plant to be used to create a brand-new Plant.

What is Plant Tissue Culture?

Plant Tissue Culture is a technique by which Plants are grown in the laboratory (in vitro) on synthetic (man-made) nutrient media in a suitable environment. The Plants produced via this technique would share the same characteristics as the mother Plant. This Culture technique acts as a valuable tool for both scientific investigation and practical applications.

Steps of Plant Tissue Culture

The steps involved in Plant Tissue Culture are:

1. Step 1: Selection of Explants: Part of a Plant that holds regeneration potential and possesses the ability to give rise to the whole Plant is selected. These parts may include apical meristems, roots, embryo, leaf disc, leaf blade, anther, ovary, etc.
2. Step 2: Sterilization and Inoculation of Explants: The explant is sterilized using a disinfecting solution and is introduced to the nutrient media composed of growth hormones and required nutrients. These components aid the healthy growth and multiplication of cells.
3. Step 3: Root and Shoot formation: The explants give rise to callus, an undifferentiated mass of cells that is capable of division and differentiation. Plant hormone combinations are used to induce root and shoot development. This gives rise to plantlets.
4. Step 4: Transfer of Plantlets: Plantlets are transferred to soil and are allowed to grow in the natural environment.

Types of Plant Tissue Culture

There are different types of Tissue Culture Techniques and they are:

Seed Culture

In this Culture, seeds are used to initiate Plant Culture. This method is mostly used for sterile Plants i.e. Plants that have lost their ability to reproduce. Orchids are heavily cultivated using this culturing technique.

Protoplast Culture

In this culture Plant cells are isolated from their cell walls, resulting in naked, single cells known as protoplasts. Some scientific avenues that use protoplast Culture include genetic transformation, hybridization studies, and cell biology research.

Callus Culture

Callus is obtained when the explants are allowed to grow on a nutrient medium. Under favorable conditions, the callus can be used to develop any part of the Plant. The callus Culture is very sensitive i.e. it can easily be affected by growth conditions and media composition.

Embryo Culture

This Culture involves the isolation and cultivation of embryos from seeds i.e. seeds from the desired Plants species with embryos at the desired developmental stage are selected and Cultured to develop a whole Plant. Ripe seeds yield mature embryos, while immature embryos are obtained from seeds that did not germinate.

Organ Culture

This Culture includes the isolation and cultivation of entire Plant organs, such as roots, shoots, or leaves, under controlled conditions. This method is widely used to maintain or conserve the natural structure and function of a specific Plant part in its original state.

What are the different Plant Tissue Culture mediums?

Some commonly used Plant Tissue Culture mediums include:

Murashige and Skoog (MS) Medium

This medium was developed by Murashige and Skoog and is the most widely used medium in Plant Tissue Culture. It consists of macronutrients micronutrients, vitamins, and Plant growth regulators like auxins and cytokinins to support a wide range of Plant species.

Gamborg’s B5 Medium

This medium too provides a balanced nutrient composition for various Plant Tissues. It is mainly used for cell suspension Cultures and somatic embryogenesis.

Woody Plant Medium (WPM)

This medium is used for the cultivation woody Plant species as this medium contains a balanced combination of nutrients, and growth regulators required for the cultivation of trees and shrubs.

Schenk and Hildebrandt Medium

This medium is primarily used to Culture orchids, as this medium is rich in nutrients and growth regulators suitable for orchid propagation.

White’s Medium

This medium is used for the Culture of tobacco Tissues as this medium contains specific nutrients and growth regulators optimized for tobacco cell and Tissue Cultures.

Advantages of Plant Tissue Culture

The advantages of Plant Tissue Culture are:

1. Plant Tissue Culture allows the efficient production of genetically identical plantlets from a single parent Plant that aids in mass propagation.
2. As this technique is not affected by the changing of seasons, Plants can be Cultured in a continuous manner ensuring a round-the-year supply.
3. Via surface sterilization, Plant Tissue Culture gives rise to disease-free Plants, reducing the risk of infections and ensuring healthier stock.
4. Allowing the cultivation of Plants with favorable traits, such as resistance to diseases or pests using genetic modifications and manipulation.
5. Plant Tissue Culture acts as a valuable tool for scientists and researchers to study Plant physiology, biochemistry, and genetics, contributing to advancements in Plant science.

Conclusion – Plant Tissue Culture

Plant Tissue Culture is a technique that is revolutionizing both scientific exploration and practical applications in the avenue of Plant biology. Diverse types of Plant Tissue Culture, such as seed Culture, protoplast Culture, and callus Culture propose flexibility and applicability across various plant species.

This method not only tackles practical challenges in crop production but also provides a platform for continuous innovation and exploration in the dynamic field of Plant science.

FAQs – Plant Tissue Culture

1. What is Plant Tissue Culture brief?

A collection of techniques that are used to grow or maintain Plant cells, Tissues or organs under sterile conditions on a nutrient Culture medium is known as Plant Tissue Culture. it is mainly used to produce clones of plants that are used in micropropagation.

2. What in vitro conditions influence the growth of Plants?

In vitro parameters that affect Plant growth include exposure to light, temperature, Plant growth hormones, carbon source, nutrients, water, etc.

3. What Plant Growth Hormones are used for root and shoot formation?

In Plant Tissue Culture, Auxin stimulates root development while Cytokinin stimulates shoot formation.

4. What are the disadvantages of Plant Tissue Culture?

The disadvantages of Plant Tissue Culture include contamination risks, labor-intensive processes, potential somatic mutations, ethical issues with modified Plants, and difficulties in adapting regenerated Plants to natural conditions.

5. What is the function of Plant Tissue Culture?

The primary function of Plant Tissue Culture is to grow and cultivate Plants under controlled conditions, ensuring the regeneration of Plants with desired characteristics.

6. What are the examples of Plant Tissue Culture?

Some examples of Plant Tissue Culture include micropropagation, somatic embryogenesis, germplasm preservation, and embryo rescue.

7. Which media is used in Plant Tissue Culture?

In Plant Tissue Culture, various types of growth media are used, including Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, Gamborg’s B5 medium, and Woody Plant medium (WPM), among others.