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  • Discuss how the property of plant cell totipotency has been utilized for plant propagation and improvement.

Discuss how the property of plant cell totipotency has been utilized for plant propagation and improvement.
 

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During the 1950s, scientists learned that a whole plant could be generated from an explant. Any part of a plant grown in a test tube under sterile conditions by using a special nutrient medium is called an explant.

The ability of a cell to produce a whole organism is called totipotency. By using this property, it is possible to produce a large number of plants in a short duration. The nutrient medium for this purpose must contain a source of carbon, like sucrose. It should also contain inorganic salts, vitamins, amino acids, and plant hormones.

Plants grown through this method are clones of the parent plant. They are often called somaclones. Many desirable characteristics can be introduced in the progeny by using this method and a combination of genetic engineering. Healthy plants can be grown from a diseased plant by using this method. Virus-free plants can be easily produced by using this method. This method has been employed to produce plants of banana, sugarcane, potato, etc.

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