Tissue culture, also known as micropropagation, is a method of plant propagation that involves growing plant cells or tissues in a laboratory under sterile conditions. This allows for the production of large numbers of genetically identical plants, often referred to as clones.
The process of tissue culture begins by taking a small piece of plant tissue, such as a leaf or stem, and sterilizing it to remove any microorganisms that could contaminate the culture. The tissue is then placed in a nutrient-rich growth medium that contains hormones and other substances to encourage cell division and growth.
Under carefully controlled environmental conditions, the tissue grows and develops into a small plantlet or "propagule." These plantlets are then carefully transferred to soil or another growing medium, where they can continue to develop into mature plants.
Tissue culture has several advantages over traditional methods of plant propagation, including the ability to rapidly produce large numbers of plants from a small amount of starting material, the production of genetically identical plants, and the ability to regenerate plants that may have been damaged or lost through traditional propagation methods. Tissue culture is commonly used in the production of ornamental plants, fruits, vegetables, and other crops, as well as for research purposes in plant biology and genetics.
