Plant Tissue Culture (PTC)

Plant tissue culture (PTC) is the term used for growing any plant part - protoplast, cell, tissue or organ - in vitro (literally 'in glass', i.e. inside a sterile vessel) under aseptic conditions on a defined culture medium. Every PTC protocol, regardless of what it is trying to achieve, rests on three fundamental principles. First, the plant part to be cultured (the explant) must be deliberately selected and physically isolated from the rest of the plant body. Second, once isolated, the explant must be maintained under conditions that are both physically controlled (temperature, light, humidity) and chemically defined, meaning every component of its nutrient medium is known. Third, the entire procedure must be carried out under aseptic conditions, which demands a high degree of cleanliness and sterile technique in the laboratory. …