Micropropagation is the process of rapidly multiplying plant materials in vitro. It involves taking plant cells, tissues or organs as explants and culturing them on nutrient media to stimulate growth. Common micropropagation techniques include axillary shoot proliferation from pre-existing meristems using cytokinin treatment, shoot organogenesis from leaf or stem explants, and somatic embryogenesis from callus or suspension cells. Micropropagation has advantages like rapid multiplication, disease elimination, and production of propagules with desirable traits, but also limitations like high equipment and expertise costs. It has applications for quickly increasing stocks of new varieties and producing disease-free plants.

1. Micropropagation
“… the art and science
of multiplying plants in
vitro.”

2. Clone
Genetically identical assemblage of individuals
propagated entirely by vegetative means from a
single plant.

3. Explant
Cell, tissue or organ of a
plant that is used to start
in vitro cultures.

4. Axillary shoot proliferation
Growth of axillary buds stimulated by cytokinin treatment;
shoots arise mostly from pre-existing meristems.

5. Shoot proliferating culture of ‘Hally Jolivette’ cherry

7. Fungal contamination in rhododendron culture

8. Rhododendron cultures in the lab of Herman Losely & Son Nursery, Perry, OH

9. Amelanchier laevis transplants and field planting.

10. Micropropagatio
n
Advantages
• From one to many propagules rapidly
• Multiplication in controlled lab conditions
• Continuous propagation year round
• Potential for disease-free propagules

11. Conventional
Propagation
Advantages
• Equipment costs minimal
• Experience can substitute for technical expertise
• Costs per unit are minimal
• Potential for disease-free propagules
• Specialized techniques for growth control (grafting
onto dwarfing rootstocks)

12. Micropropagatio
n
Limitations
• Equipment/facility intensive operation
• Technical expertise in management positions
• Protocols not optimized for all species
• Liners may not fit industry standard
• Propagules may be too expensive

13. Micropropagatio
n
Applications
• Rapid build up of stock of new, superior variety
• Elimination of endophytic disease
• Better suited to morphology/growth characteristics
(few offshoots/sprouts; date palms, ferns, nandinas)
• Propagules have enhanced growth features
(multibranched character; Ficus, Syngonium)

14. Shoot organogenesis
Adventitious meristems differentiate on leaf, stem, or
floral tissue.

15. African violet culture started
from leaf section.

17. Begonia x chiemanta ‘Emma’ at various stages in micropropagation.

18. Somatic Embryogenesis
Stimulation of callus or suspension cells to undergo a
developmental pathway that mimics the development of
the zygotic embryo.

20. Somatic
Hybridization
Fusion of protoplasts from
different genotypes to bring
about genetic recombination.

27. Somaclonal variation
Heritable genetic variation that arises in plants
produced through tissue culture.

33. Chimera
Plant composed of two genotypes growing adjacent
to one another in all (or part) of the plant body.

34. Inflorescence culture
The inflorescence of many plants is a modified branching
system. Vegetative meristems in the inflorescence may be
stimulated to proliferate in vitro.
bract
axi
l
peduncle
flower bud