794-021 Plant Tissue Culture & Micropropagation

The objective of this subject is to extend participants' ability to:

• describe the ways in which plant tissue culture can be used to propagate plants;

• describe the functions of the various components of typical plant tissue culture media;

• recommend a program for introducing plant material into culture;

• prepare micropropagation media from basic ingredients;

• perform sterile techniques associated with tissue culture and micropropagation;

• identify the role of micropropagation in commercial plant production;

• distinguish between clonal micropropagation and tissue culture techniques; and

• understand techniques necessary for somatic embryogenesis.

The content includes differentiation between tissue culture and micropropagation; the history and development of tissue culture systems; micropropagation procedures; commercial use of micropropagation; techniques of somatic embryogenesis; concepts of somatic cell fusion, embryo rescue and haploid culture; and experimental tissue culture techniques and outcomes.

Test of 20 minutes (20%); 2500-word assignment (50%); 20-minute presentation (15%); attendance (15%).

• A M Taji, W A Dodd and R R Williams, Plant Tissue Culture Practice. 2nd ed., University of New England Printery, 1993.