Question

Which part of the plant is best suited for making virus-free plants and why?

Answer 1

The apical and axillary meristems of plants are the best parts of the plant to make virus-free plants. This is because the rate of division of meristematic cells is higher than the rate of viral multiplication, and thus, viruses are unable to invade newly formed meristematic cells. Hence, meristematic cells are free of the virus, although the whole plant is infected. Using meristem tissue, a healthy plant can be recovered from a diseased plant through micropropagation.