Abstract
AbstractPlant cell cultures providepowerful experimental tools, for both applied science and fundamental research.Culturing plant cells and tissuein vitromakes some special demands on laboratory facilities, although many large laboratories will have most of the equipment necessary for at least initial experiments with plant tissue cultures. The primary requirement for successful plant tissue culturein vitrois the ability to produce and culture the tissue aseptically. Plant cell cultures tend to grow very slowly and in most cases require a rich culture medium, which means that contamination with a range of microbial organisms can present a real problem.Plant cell cultures also need to be kept in defined, controlled environments. In many respects, this can be achieved through the choice of culture vessel, which for many plant tissue cultures are relatively simple vessels such as petri dishes. These cultures though, will require maintenance in growth rooms that allow control of parameters such as temperature and lighting regime. This requirement may place a considerable burden on laboratories that utilize plant tissue cultures on a large scale, as specialized growth facilities can be expensive. On a smaller scale, many “cabinets” or growth chambers are available that allow plant tissue to be cultured on a small scale at a reasonable price.Once established, plant cell cultures facilitate long‐term growth of uniform plant material and through precise manipulation of the culture environment, permit studies on such diverse topics as plant development, cell division, secondary metabolism, and plant propagation.