Micropropagation is a technique to produce many identical plant clones from a single parent plant using tissue culture.

Meristem cells are totipotent, meaning they can differentiate into all plant cell types.

A tissue culture involves growing plant tissues in a sterile medium with hormones like auxins and cytokinins to stimulate cell division and growth.

An explant is a small tissue sample taken from a plant to start the micropropagation process.

A callus is a mass of undifferentiated plant cells that forms from an explant.

Plantlets are formed by transferring callus cells to a new medium that stimulates plantlet growth.

Plantlets can then be potted in compost to grow into individual plants.

Sterilisation reduces the risk of widespread infection and produces healthier crops.

1. It is expensive and requires skilled technicians
2. Explants and plantlets are vulnerable to infection
3. All plants are genetically identical (monoculture) so are vulnerable to environmental changes

Plants in a monoculture are particularly vulnerable to being wiped out by a new disease, pest, or climate change.

1. Produces large numbers of plants quickly
2. Produces plants that are genetically identical so are known to produce high yields
3. Culturing usually produces disease-free plants
4. Can produce seedless plants
5. Can produce plants that are hard to grow from seeds
6. Enables the rapid increase of the numbers of rare or endangered plants