Micro-propagation

• Micro propagation is the production of whole plant from small section of plant such as a stem tip, node, meristem, embryo or even a seed

Steps of micro propagation

a) Establishment • In this step, selection of suitable plants, their sterilization and transfer to nutrient media for establishment that is initiation of a sterile culture of the explant

b) Proliferation • Proliferation or multiplication of shoot from the explant on medium

c) Rooting and hardening • Transfer of shoots to a rooting medium followed later by planting into soil

Types:

a) Meristem or shoot tip culture

b) Bud culture

c) Embryo culture

d) Callus culture

e) Cell suspension culture

f) Protoplast culture

How does micro propagation work?

• Plant cell have the ability to reproduce the whole plant from single cell. This is called totipotency
• Totipotency is the ability of single cell to express the full genome in the cells to which it gives rise by cell division

Why do we do it?

• To regenerate plant from single cell or plant tissue
• To produce large quantities of identical plant
• To create new plant varieties