Plant tissue culture involves growing isolated parts of plants under sterile conditions for various purposes such as micropropagation, studying tissues, creating hybrids, and harvesting valuable compounds. The technique is based on growing new cells or entire plants from various components and is useful in nurseries, forestry, and pharmaceutical/biotechnological industries.
Plant tissue culture is an activity that involves growing isolated parts of plants under strictly controlled sterile conditions. The technique is often used in both biotechnology and nursery settings and can be adapted to obtain mature clonal plants or a variety of specialized organs and tissues. When a nursery uses plant tissue culture to create many mature plants from a single source, this is typically referred to as micropropagation. Other uses for the technique include studying particular plant tissues, creating hybrids through the fusion of protoplasts, and growing single cells for the valuable compounds they contain. The final results of plant tissue culture are usually dictated by the culture media used and the vitamins, hormones, or other compounds added.
The technique of plant tissue culture is based on the fact that plants can be grown from various component parts. It is often possible to grow new cells or even an entire plant from components such as leaves and stems or even single cells and protoplasts. The plant tissue is removed and then explanted in a growth environment, which differs from one situation to another. Individual cells can be grown in agar-filled culture dishes or in a nutrient-rich liquid solution within a bioreactor, while cuttings are typically grown in materials such as rockwool, vermiculite, and water.
Plant tissue culture is useful in many different contexts, and nurseries often use this technique to grow large numbers of identical plants for sale or other purposes. The same technique is also used in forestry to grow new seedling trees under strictly controlled environmental conditions. It may also be useful to grow single cells in culture to test for resistance to herbicides and other compounds. This can save time and money compared to growing whole plants and testing them afterwards. The technique is also useful for preserving endangered plant species or for propagating otherwise sterile hybrids.
There are also various pharmaceutical and biotechnological uses for plant tissue culture. Some plant cells may contain valuable compounds, such as recombinant proteins, which can be harvested through the use of plant tissue cultures. In this case the individual cells can be grown in a bioreactor and then treated to remove the valuable components. It is also possible to grow specific plant cells, such as callus, using particular culture substrates and additive hormones. In some cases, these specific cells are cultured for further study.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
