Tissue culture is defined as the propagation of plant and animal cells through the placement of small amounts of tissue in an artificial environment. Given the appropriate conditions, most kinds of plant and animal cells will live, even multiply and express differentiated properties in a tissue-culture dish.

Plant tissue culture was first used on a large scale by the orchid industry in the 1950s. Later, it became clear that any plant would respond to tissue culture as long as the right formula and the right processes were developed for its culture. In the case of plant tissue culture, a piece of plant, (which can be anything from a piece of stem, root, leaf, bud, or a single cell) is placed in a test tube. In a sterile environment (free from microorganisms) and in a balanced nutrient medium that bit of plant (explant...