Question

List the applications of tissue culture.

Answer 1

Hint: Let us first understand what is meant by tissue culture. Tissue culture is a biological research technique in which the fragments of plant or animal tissue is taken and transferred into an environment that helps them to continue to function and survive.

Complete answer:
1.Tissue culture was invented by a German Botanist Gottlieb Haberlandt. He was the first person to use the in vitro method to develop the plant tissues. It is a method in which the plant cells, tissues or organs are grown in a sterile environment in a nutrient medium of a known composition. Applications of tissue culture are:
2.Tissue culture method is used to obtain the clones of a plant in a method called micropropagation.
3.It helps in the conservation of endangered species.
4.Tissue culture is used in the production of the same copies of the plant that produce good quality flowers, fruits etc.
5.In the absence of seeds and pollinators, many plants are produced by tissue culture.
6.The whole plant can be regenerated that is genetically modified by a single cell by culturing it in a nutrient medium.
7.Transmission of diseases, pathogens and pests are eliminated by production of plants in sterile condition.
8.Plants such as orchids and nepenthes that have very low chances of germinating and growing from seed can be produced by tissue culture.
9.It is also helpful in the study of the molecular basis of reproductive, physiological and biochemical mechanisms in plants like in vitro selection of stress tolerance plants.
10.This method is also used in the induction of polyploidy and chromosome doubling.

Note: Tissue culture is dependent on the fact of totipotency. Totipotency is a method in which the many plant cells have the capability to regenerate into whole new plants. The cells or tissues that are taken from the plant to be cultured in a nutrient medium is called Explant. Explants can be a portion of leaf, shoot, root stem flower etc.