ABSTRACT

Plant tissue culture, which is aseptic culture of cells, tissues, organs, and/ or their components under well-defined physical and chemical conditions in vitro, has emerged as a very important tool in both the basic and applied science along with its various commercial application. The beginning of this particular branch of science can be traced back to the ideas of the German scientist Haberlandt at the onset of the 20th century. The early studies done have paved the path for techniques such as root cultures, embryo cultures, and the first true callus and/or tissue cultures. The period between the 1940s and the 1960s was marked by the development of new techniques and the improvement of those that were already in use (Table 9.1). The availability of these techniques led to the application of tissue culture to five broad areas:

1. Cell behavior that includes fields such as cytology, nutrition, metabolism, morphogenesis, embryogenesis, and pathology;

2. Plant modification and improvement; 3. Pathogen-free plants and germplasm storage; 4. Clonal propagation; and 5. Product (mainly secondary metabolite) formation.