Tissue Cultured Plantlets

Tissue culture (often called micropropagation) is a special type of asexual propagation where a very small piece of tissue (shoot apex, leaf section, or even an individual cell) is excised (cut-out) and placed in sterile (aseptic) culture in a test tube, petri dish or tissue culture container containing a special culture medium. 

The culture medium contains a gel (agar) with the proper mixture of nutrients, sugars, vitamins and hormones, which causes the plant part to grow at very rapid rates to produce new plantlets.  It has been estimated that one chrysanthemum apex placed in tissue culture could produce up to 1,000,000 new plantlets in one year.  Thus, tissue culture is used for rapid multiplication of plants.  A very specialized laboratory is required for tissue culture.  All the procedures are done in a laboratory and special ventilated cabinet that is as sterile as an operating room.

Overview of the Tissue Culture Process 


Application of tissue culture

-Micropropagation
Rapid vegetative multiplication of valuable plant material for agriculture, horticulture, and forestry.

-Production of disease-free plants
When the apex of shoot is used for multiplication by tissue culture, we get disease free plants because the shoot apical meristem, a group of dividing cells at the tip of a stem or root, is free from pathogens.
-Plant breeding
Tissue culture has also been successfully used in plant breeding programmes.  
-Production of disease- and pest-resistant plants
Plants grown from tissue culture usually pass trough callus phase and show many variations. These show some agronomic characteristics like tolerance to pests, diseases, etc.

Equipment and basic materials in the tissue culture lab

1.      Hoplate / magnetic stirrer or stove

2.      Glassware (measuring cups, erlenmeyer) or stainless steel to heat up and dissolve the media

3.       Equipment with pressure steam sterilization (autoclave)

4.       pH meter

5.       Scales (analitical and bench top loading)

6.       Glass measuring gradual

7.       Culture bottle with lid

8.       Dispenser

9.       Tools dissection (spatula, scalpel (tweezers), forceps, scissors)

10.   Refrigerator

11.   Distilling units or water deionizer

12.   Oven

13.   Microwave

14.   Microscope

15.   Pipette measuring

16.   Shaker

17.  Laminar air flow

18.   Disinfectant

Steps in Tissue Culture

Ø  Explant:  Cut-out Plant Tissue and Place in  Tissue Culture Container

Ø  Multiplication:  Tissue Grows and Produces Small Plants

Ø  Rapid Multiplication by Transfer of Cultures

Ø  Transplanting

Nowadays, PTC is used on various types of fruits, flowers, medicinal plants and even trees. Here are some examples: Fruits: Banana, pineapple, strawberry, blueberry, cranberry
Cash crops: Sugarcane, potato
Spices: Turmeric, ginger, vanilla, large cardamom, small cardamom
Medicinal plants: Aloe vera, geranium, stevia, patchouli, neem
Woody plants (trees): Teak, bamboo, eucalyptus, populus