Technological development in Sri Lanka's agriculture

 Tissue Culture.....

What is the tissue culture?

Tissue culture is the cultivation of plant cells, tissues, or organs on specially formulated nutrient media.

Oil palm, banana, eggplant, pineapple, rubber tree, tomato, sweet potato have been produced by tissue culture in the developing countries.

Steps of Tissue Culture

Initiation Phase

At this stage, the tissue is initiated into the culture. The tissue of interest is obtained, introduced and sterilized to prevent the process from any contamination.

Multiplication Phase

In this stage, the sterilized explant is introduced into the medium composed of growth regulators and appropriate nutrients. They are responsible for the multiplication of cells. This undifferentiated mass of cells is known as a callus.

Root Formation

The roots start forming. Plant growth hormones are added to initiate the root formation. Consequently, we obtain a complete plantlets.

Shoot Formation

The plant growth hormones for the formation of shoot are added and the growth is observed for a week.

Acclimatization

When the plant starts developing, it is transferred to the greenhouse to develop under controlled environmental conditions. It is finally transferred to the nurseries to grow under natural environmental conditions.

Advantages of Tissue Culture

1. The plantlets are obtained in a very short time with a small amount of plant tissue.

2. The new plants produced are disease-free.

3. The plants can be grown throughout the year, irrespective of the season.

4. A large space is not required to grow plants by tissue culture technique.

5. The production of new varieties in the market place speeds up.

6. This technique is being used for the production of ornamental plants such as dahlia, chrysanthemum, orchids.

7. Plants with desired characteristics can be obtained.

   
   
   

Importance of Tissue Culture

   Tissue culture is very important in biology due to its wide range of applications.

Both plant and animal tissues can be used for culturing. For eg., animal tissue culture helps in preserving an organ or tissue. Plant tissue culture may be used for genetic modification of a plant or simply increase its yield. the cells of the plants can be genetically altered to produce plants with desirable characteristics.

   This technique utilizes the plant’s ability to rejuvenate the tissues rapidly. It produces exact copies of itself known as clones. It is a technique of quickly producing plants without any tubers, seeds or bulbs.

It also helps in the conservation of plant biodiversity by the production of endangered plants.