Tissue culture
/ˈtɪʃu ˈkʌltʃɚ/
Definition
Tissue culture refers to a plant propagation and research technique in which small pieces of plant tissue, cells, or growing points are grown on a sterile nutrient medium under controlled conditions. It differs from ordinary cuttings because growth happens in vitro, meaning outside the plant and in a lab or similar clean setting. New plants formed this way are often genetically identical clones of the parent plant.
Practical Relevance
- Rapid clonal multiplication: tissue culture lets growers produce many genetically similar plants from a small amount of starting material, which is especially useful for slow-growing, rare, or high-demand varieties.
- Cleaner starting stock: When done with carefully selected material, tissue culture can help produce plants free of some pathogens, especially viruses, giving nurseries a healthier base for further propagation.
- Propagation of difficult plants: Some plants root poorly from cuttings or make few offsets. tissue culture can bypass those limits by regenerating new shoots and roots under controlled conditions.
- Conservation and research value: Botanists use tissue culture to preserve uncommon species, study plant development, and maintain living material for breeding and laboratory work without relying only on wild collection.
Related Terms
Micropropagation
Micropropagation is a plant propagation technique that produces many new plants from a small piece of parent tissue…
In vitro
In vitro refers to plant cells, tissues, or organs grown outside the plant in a sterile, controlled environment…
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…