Meristem culture is useful in breeding programmes where hybrid plants produce non-viable or abortive seeds and are unable to mature. The meristem and shoot tips have also some application in Agrobacterium mediated genetic transformation.

The most economical and efficient medium for germplasm storage is seeds. But, the technique is less efficient or sometimes doesn’t work in case of crops producing sterile or highly heterozygous seeds. It’s also not useful for plants that loose viability…

Rapid clonal propagation is one of the most popular reasons for using tissue culture techniques. Several orchids and ornamental plants have been grown using meristem and shoot tip culture. The rate of propagation is higher in organogenesis and embryogenesis compared…

Meristem culture alone or in conjunction with several other treatments have been used to eliminate viruses from several plants. For example, many researchers found meristem tip culture of 0.3 mm have been useful to eliminate virus in sweet potato and…

Intercalary meristems are found in grasses and related plants that do not have a vascular cambium or a cork cambium, as they do not increase in girth. These plants do have apical meristems and in areas of leaf attachment, called…

Lateral meristems account for secondary growth in plants. Secondary growth is generally horizontal growth. A good example would be the growth of a tree trunk in girth. There are two types of lateral meristems to be aware of in the…

Apical meristems are located at or near the tips of roots and shoots. As new cells form in the meristems, the roots and shoots will increase in length. This vertical growth is also known as primary growth. A good example…

Plants are composed of three major organ groups: roots, stems, and leaves. As we know from other areas of biology, these organs are comprised of tissues working together for a common goal (function). In turn, tissues are made of a number of cells…