Micropropagation Lab Report

3.1. Mass multiplication: Using the technique of Micropropagation

Micropropagation has made invaluable contribution to agriculture by enabling the production of disease free, quality planting material of commercial plants and fruit trees, throughout the year. It is a technique for in-vitro growth of plantlets from any part of the plant in a suitable nutrient medium under controlled aseptic conditions. These organs are usually stems, roots or modified underground structures. Micropropagation is based on the theory of totipotency i.e. the ability of a single cell to develop into whole plant. The major components of the technology include choice of explant (excised part of plant), growing of explant on a defined medium in glass vessel (in vitro), elimination and or prevention of diseases, providing appropriate cultural environment and transfer of plantlets from glass vessel to natural environment (hardening). All these constitute protocol for Micropropagation. It varies from species to species and variety to variety

• Micropropagated plants have increased branching and flowering, greater vigor and higher yield, mainly due to the possibility of elimination of diseases.

• The method is used to propagate plants where seeds or vegetative propagation is not possible or difficult or undesirable. As the capital investment on mother plants is reduced to almost zero, it may be easier to adapt to changing conditions. Additionally, a better programming of the production is possible, because of the greater plant uniformity and the availability in the mass at any time.

• Enables storage and maintenance of stock plants/germplasm.

The technologies, which have been perfected for large-scale propagation, are as