Micropropagation

Micropropagation is used to multiply noble plants such as those that have been genetically modified or bred through conventional plant breeding methods. One of the most important aspect of commercial micropropagation is the economics involved and the cost of plantlet production. Medicinal plants with established market demand coupled with some inherent problems associated with their field cultivation such as prolonged juvenile phase, poor flowering, low seed set or viability and strong recalcitrant nature, are therefore fast attracting the attention of micropropagation industry to meet their demand. The environmental factors such as light, temperature and application of plant growth regulators can yield better, hygienic and responsive explant for micropropagation. Micropropagation is currently applied to a large number of agricultural and forestry, medicinal and aromatic plant species, but is still costly due to intensive manual manipulation throughout the various culture phases.