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AAT Bioquest

What is the difference between micropropagation and tissue culture?

Posted December 7, 2020


Answer

Micropropagation and tissue culture are both techniques used to produce large quantities of plants under aseptic and environmentally controlled conditions. While often used interchangeably, there are stark differences between the two techniques (see table below):

MicropropagationTissue Culture
Vegetative propagation of new plants in tissue culture.A technique in which plant cells, tissues or organs is artificially grown under aseptic and controlled conditions
Uses tissue fragments derived from the meristem.Uses cell, tissue or organ samples from any part of the plant
Takes place after tissue cultureIs the first step in the process of micropropagation.
Additional resources

Micropropagation: a tool for the production of high quality plant-based medicines