ABSTRACT
Until today, mistletoe has not been a particular focus of cell and tissue culture experiments, i.e. the removal of cell groups or tissue explants from a mistletoe donor plant and their subsequent cultivation on a nutrient medium supplemented with growth regulators and other substances. In vitro techniques are a major component of plant biotechnology, since they permit to artificially control several of the parameters affecting the growth and metabolism of cultured tissues. Researchers working with V. album world wide could benefit from the establishment of tissue culture protocols for this species in the following ways:
1. By altering the culture parameters, it might be possible to control the quantity, composition and timing of production of mistletoe extracts. In this way, problems associated with the standardisation of mistletoe extracts (Wagner et al., 1986; Lorch and Tröger, this book) might be overcome. By feeding cultures with precursor substances for the biosynthesis of certain metabolites, a higher productivity may be achieved from cultured cells (in vitro) than from whole plants.
