Micropropagation

A rose plant that began as cells grown in a tissue culture

Micropropagation or tissue culture is the practice of rapidly multiplying plant stock material to produce many progeny plants, using modern plant tissue culture methods.[1]

Micropropagation is used to multiply a wide variety of plants, such as those that have been genetically modified or bred through conventional plant breeding methods. It is also used to provide a sufficient number of plantlets for planting from seedless plants, plants that do not respond well to vegetative reproduction or where micropropagation is the cheaper means of propagating (e.g. Orchids[2]). Cornell University botanist Frederick Campion Steward discovered and pioneered micropropagation and plant tissue culture in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[3]

  1. ^ "Micropropagation - Definitions from Dictionary.com". dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  2. ^ Chugh, Samira; Guha, Satyakam; Rao, I. Usha (2009-11-03). "Micropropagation of orchids: A review on the potential of different explants". Scientia Horticulturae. 122 (4): 507–520. Bibcode:2009ScHor.122..507C. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2009.07.016. ISSN 0304-4238.
  3. ^ "Frederick Campion Steward" (PDF). Cornell University Faculty Memorial Statement. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-02.