sufficiently provide fast and efficient systems for crop improvernent, another technology

called tissue culture developed.

The advantages of tissue culture over conventional breeding are as follows

(i) it can be used to produce large number of plantlets within a short period by

micropropagation.

(ii) All cells in the culture are derived from a single explant by mitotic division, therefore all

have the similar genotype and constitute a clone.

(iii) Tolerance to stress can be obtained by providing pollutants, toxins, salts, etc... in culture

medium in increasing dosage. The surviving healthy cells are selected for raising

resistant plants.

(iv) Virus free plantlets can be obtained by meristem culture.

(v) Embryos which do not survive inside seeds can be grown by tissue culture to form new

plants.