Difference Between Micropropagation And Tissue Culture: Definition, Introduction

What Is Micropropagation?

Micropropagation is a method of plant propagation wherein there is a rapid multiplication of plants from small parts of plants through tissue culture techniques. This involves raising large quantities of plants with identical genetic makeup within a very short period.

Characteristics Of Micropropagation

• Rapid multiplication: This method raises large quantities of plants in a short time from a single explant.

• Gene Uniformity: Progeny obtained through micropropagation are all genetically identical to the mother plant

• Free of Disease: Micropropagation produces disease-free plants by cleaning off the pathogens present in the mother plant.

• Production Throughout the Year: Plants can be produced throughout the year, independent of season or time.

• Space-Efficient: When compared to the conventional methods, the space required for micropropagation is comparatively much less.

What Is Tissue Culture?

The term is general and embodies different techniques for cultivating plant cells, tissues, or organs on an artificial medium in aseptic conditions. Tissue culture can be applied to such fields as micropropagation, plant breeding, and secondary metabolite production. Several tissue culture techniques are applied to areas such as micropropagation, plant breeding, and production of secondary metabolites.

Properties Of Tissue Culture

• Tissue Culture: Generally, the growth of plant cells, tissues, or organs occurs on an artificial nutrient medium.

• Sterile Conditions: Every work is done in completely aseptic conditions so that infection can be avoided.

• Manipulation of Growth: Nutrient medium and environmental conditions may manipulate the growth and development of plant parts.

• Wide Spectrum of Applications: Applications of tissue culture are found in the realms of plant propagation, breeding, conservation, and production of secondary metabolites.

• Need for Specialised Equipment: Specialised equipment like laminar flow cabinets, growth chambers, and autoclaves are necessary for tissue culture.

Key Differences Between Micropropagation And Tissue Culture

Although micropropagation is a subset of the latter, tissue culture has a few differences distinguished from the former:

Examples Of Application of Micropropagation and Tissue Culture

The examples are given below:

Examples Of Micropropagation

• Ornamental Plants: This technique has huge application in ornamental plants where rapid multiplication is envisaged, for example, orchids and African violets.

• Fruit Trees: Through micropropagation, fruit trees can reproduce completely free of disease, which is true-to-type, a factor observed in apples and bananas.

• Medicinal Plants: Micropropagation can be used to propagate rare or endangered medicinal plants for either conservation or commerce.

Examples Of Tissue Culture

• Plant Breeding: The tissue culture methods, such as embryo rescue and another culture, are utilized in plant breeding for the production of new varieties.

• Secondary Metabolite Production: Very valuable secondary metabolites like pharmaceuticals and flavour compounds can be produced using plant cell tissue cultured.

• Germplasm Conservation: This can be used in the long-term storage of plant genetic resources for their preservation.

Conclusion

Apart from the many other potent tools in plant biotechnology, micropropagation and tissue culture allow one to effectively propagate and manipulate plants. While micropropagation deals with the rapid multiplication of plants, the term "tissue culture" is rather all-embracing, encompassing several techniques and a whole range of applications. The differences between the two methods have to be understood so that the appropriate method may be adopted for specific plant propagation and research requirements.