In vitro
/ɪn ˈviːtroʊ/
Definition
In vitro refers to plant cells, tissues, or organs grown outside the plant in a sterile, controlled environment, usually on a nutrient medium in a vessel such as a test tube or culture jar. In botany and horticulture, the term commonly describes tissue culture and micropropagation, where growth happens under laboratory conditions rather than in soil, on the parent plant, or in a greenhouse bed.
Practical Relevance
- Micropropagation of clones: In vitro is widely used to multiply plants from tiny pieces of tissue, producing many genetically similar plantlets from a selected parent in a small space.
- Clean stock production: It helps nurseries and breeding programs produce disease-free material, especially when shoot tips are cultured to reduce or remove some viruses and other pathogens.
- Conservation and research: Rare species, slow growers, and plants with poor seed set can be maintained or increased in vitro, and the same approach lets researchers study growth regulators under controlled conditions.
- Acclimation after culture: Plantlets raised in sterile containers often have thin leaves and weak water control, so they need a gradual transition to normal humidity, light, and potting conditions.
Related Terms
Tissue culture
Tissue culture refers to a plant propagation and research technique in which small pieces of plant tissue, cells, or…
Micropropagation
Micropropagation is a plant propagation technique that produces many new plants from a small piece of parent tissue…
Protoplast
Protoplast refers to the living contents of a plant cell enclosed by the plasma membrane, excluding the cell wall. It…
Propagation
Propagation is the process of producing new plants from seeds, spores, or vegetative parts such as stem cuttings…