Tissue culture, the harvesting of living cells from any plant part, facilitates growth of new plants in a sterile lab environment. It allows for exact replication in many locations on a large scale at any time.
Tissues harvested from a plant create an exact duplication, with the same genetic material and physical characteristics.
If a rare or slow-growing plant has not flowered or produced seed, tissue culture facilitates new plant development at any time of year.
Tissue culture facilities can be built around the globe and allow for plant production in regions with climates not hospitable for plants outdoors in fields or greenhouses.
If a plant is diseased, tissue from small areas of the plant not inflicted by the disease can be taken to produce healthy, new plants. Moreover, the isolated sterile environment of the tissue culture itself can prevent spread of diseases and insect pests.
Indoor laboratories can produce huge and repeated numbers of plants year round in small spaces, a huge advantage over traditional propagation techniques like sowing and rooting cuttings.
- OpPapers.com: What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Plant Tissue Culture?
- Davidson College: Plant Tissue Culture
tissue culture, asexual reproduction, vegetative propagation
About this Author
James Burghardt became a full-time writer in 2008 with articles appearing on Web sites like eHow and GardenGuides. He's gardened and worked professionally at gardens in Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. He holds a graduate diploma in environmental horticulture from the University of Melbourne, Australia and a Master of Science in public horticulture from the University of Delaware.