5.17 Micropropagation - CLONING

Describe the process of micropropagation (tissue culture) in which small pieces of plants (explants) are grown in vitro using nutrient media

Cloning = any procedure that produces genetically identical offspring. 
Micropropagation = a cloning technique(explants) = tips of stems and side shoots 

1. The tips of a stem and side root are teared off the plant under aseptic conditions. 

2. They are then placed in a petri dish agar that contains nutrients and plant hormones to encourage growth. 

3. The explants with shoots are then transferred to another culture medium containing a different balance of plant hormones to encourage root formation. 

4. When the explants have grown roots, they are transferred to greenhouses and transplanted into compost --> they then grow under normal conditions. 

5. These seedlings are genetically identical --> clones. 


Advantages: 

• large numbers can be produced rapidly
• species that are difficult to grow from seeds or cuttings can be propagated 
• can be produced at any time of the year
• large numbers of plants can be stored easily