5.18: Understand How Micropropagation can be Used to Produce Commercial Quantities of Identical Plants (Clones) with Desirable Characteristics

MICROPROPAGATION: A Process in Which Very Small Pieces of Plants can be Grown to Produce Commercial Quantities of identical Plants (Clones) with Desirable Characteristics

PROCESS OF MICROPROPAGATION:

MICROPROPAGATION

Diagram Showing the Process of Micropropagation

PROCESS: Sterilise Petri Dish Scalpel is Used to Cut Out Explant of Plant with Desired Characteristic Use Tweezers to Transfer Explant into Agar Auxins and Nutrients are Added as a Growth Medium Provide Light and Water for Energy for Growth Roots will Grow and Plants will Grow, Allowing the Production of Commercial Quantities of identical Plants with Desirable Characteristics

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF MICROPROPAGATION:

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGE
Greater Yield (Large Number of Plants can be Produced)	Disease can Affect Whole Population as Plants are Identical (No Variation)
Plants can be Grown Quickly (Fast)	Vulnerable to Change in Conditions (Can Only Exploit Suitable Environment)
Species that are Hard to Grow can be Propagated	Decreases Variation as Plants are Clones
Any Time of the Year
Genetic Modification to Small Population of Plants will be Passed on to Rest of Population