Cloning Plants and Tissue Culture

• What is the purpose of cuttings in plant propagation?

  To quickly and cheaply clone a desirable plant
• What is micropropagation in plant cloning?

  • Cloning using cell cultures
  • Requires more expertise than cuttings
  • Produces many more clones
• What are explants in the context of micropropagation?

  Small pieces of plant tissue for cloning
• Why must explants be sterilised before use?

  To remove any microorganisms
• What is placed in the nutrient medium to support explant growth?

  Agar and growth hormones
• What do calluses develop from in micropropagation?

  Small masses of cells from explants
• What happens after calluses are transferred to soil?

  They grow into plantlets
• What are plantlets in the context of micropropagation?

  Baby plants developed from calluses
• What is the final outcome of the micropropagation process?

  Genetically identical adult plants
• What is one benefit of cloning via cuttings?

  It is simpler than micropropagation
• How are tissue samples transferred to the agar medium in micropropagation?

  By carefully removing and placing them
• What nutrients are added to the agar medium for plant growth?

  Specific nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus
• How does nitrogen help plant growth?

  It promotes leaf and stem development
• How does phosphorus help plant growth?

  It supports root and flower development
• What are three precautions needed for healthy growth of small plants?

  Proper light, humidity, and temperature control
• What is the process of micropropagation to clone plants?

  1. Select a plant with desirable traits
  2. Take small tissue samples (explants)
  3. Sterilise explants to remove microorganisms
  4. Place explants in nutrient medium (agar)
  5. Allow growth into calluses
  6. Transfer calluses to soil for plantlets
  7. Grow plantlets into genetically identical adult plants