T

Tissue Culture

Definition: Tissue culture is a technique in which small pieces of plant or animal tissue are grown in a sterile, controlled environment on a nutrient medium. This allows the tissue to develop into complete plants or specialized cells without the need for soil or natural growth conditions.

Purpose: The main goals of tissue culture are:

• Mass propagation of plants with desirable traits.
• Producing disease-free plants.
• Preserving rare or endangered species.
• Studying plant or animal cells under controlled conditions.

How it Works:

• Selection of Tissue (Explant): A small part of the plant, like a leaf, stem, or root tip, is taken as the starting material.
• Sterilization: The explant is sterilized to remove any bacteria, fungi, or contaminants.
• Culture on Medium: The explant is placed on a nutrient-rich medium containing sugars, vitamins, minerals, and growth hormones.
• Growth and Multiplication: Under controlled light, temperature, and humidity, the explant grows, divides, and can form a mass of undifferentiated cells called callus.
• Regeneration: With the right hormones, the callus or tissue can differentiate into shoots, roots, and eventually a complete plant.

Advantages:

• Rapid multiplication of plants in a small space.
• Produces uniform and genetically identical plants.
• Reduces risk of diseases from soil-borne pathogens.
• Enables propagation of plants that are hard to grow from seeds.