Question

What is the major advantage of producing plants by micropropagation?

Write any two advantages of producing plants by micro-propagation.

Answer 1

1. Micropropagation is the process of producing thousands of plants through tissue culture. Each plant in this process is genetically identical to the original plant from which it originated. They are known as somaclones. Most of the important food plants, like tomatoes, bananas, apples, etc., have been produced on a commercial scale using this method.
2. This method can prepare thousands of plants in a very short period. Another important application of this method is the recovery of healthy plants from diseased ones. The virus infects the plant, but the meristem (apical and axillary) remains free. Therefore, scientists separate and cultivate the meristem in vitro to create virus-free plants. Scientists have succeeded in culturing meristems of banana, sugarcane, potato, etc.
3. Scientists have even isolated single cells from plants and, after digesting their cell walls, obtained naked protoplasts (surrounded by plasma membranes). Researchers can fuse isolated protoplasts from two different plant varieties, each with a desirable trait, to create hybrid protoplasts that can be further grown into a new plant. We refer to these hybrids as somatic hybrids and the process as somatic hybridisation.

Answer 2

The major advantage of micropropagating plants is that the plants are virus-free and genetically identical, and a large number can be produced in a very short period. This technique ensures rapid propagation and disease-free planting material.