Development of Callus Cultures Through Embryo Culture

Growing plant cultures in the laboratory.

When looking at plant reproductive options, it is necessary to discuss callus cultures. Callus cultures are collections of plant-cell tissue that are used to grow new plants on a special agar medium containing plant vitamins and growth chemicals.

Callus Culture

Use of callus and embryo cultures is mainly reserved for species of plants such as wheat or carrots in which the seeds might enter a dormancy stage.

Creating An Embryo Culture

In a laboratory setting, plant embryo tissue is taken from the parent plant and placed on a growing medium to develop new embryos. These plant embryos can then grow into plants

Why Embryo Cultures Are Important

An embryo culture, when embryos are taken directly from the plant, still will have the same genetic makeup of the parent plant without any alteration.

Development of Callus Cultures Through Embryo Cultures

By developing a callus culture that changes the nature of the plant's genetics by growing it in a chemical environment, certain characteristics such as plant dormancy can be eradicated, and new embryos can be produced from the culture.

Callus Cultures Improve Plant Growth

According an article published in the "Journal of Plant Biotechnology" in 1999, research in at the Isfahan University of Technology in Iran studied plants received from just an embryo culture versus both an embryo and callus culture. Research findings showed that the callus method frequently produced more plants as the medium on which they are grown enhanced plant growth.

References

• "Introduction To Plant Biotechnology"; H.S. Chawla; 2002
• "Euphytica": Comparison of Callus Culture with Embryo Culture at Different Times of Embryo Rescue for Primary Triticale Production Rescue for Primary Triticale Production
• "Journal of Plant Biotechnology"; Response of Durum Wheat Cultivars to Immature Embryo Culture, Callus Induction and In Vitro Salt Stress