ABSTRACT
The agronomic value of the plants can be significantly improved in many traits for which genetic variability is generated through somaclonal variation. Plants have been regenerated from cell culture, especially by the micropropagators for nurseries, for several years. The potential application of somaclonal variation for crop improvement has been suggested frequently. Most of the studies on somaclonal variation in plants suffer from narrow applicability due to potentially confounding factors or lack of adequate replication. Standardization of culture media, light and temperature regimes, and transfer method can further help in the accurate assessment of somaclonal variation. A major difficulty encountered is the nonavailability of standard procedures for the detection of somaclonal variation. A more precise method to detect somaclonal variation with certainty in a precise manner is the utilization of physiological and biochemical parameters of known genotype which are expressed in plant tissue.
