Cloning in plants
cloneAn organism that is genetically identical to another organism. are genetically identical individuals. The cloningA scientific method by which genetically identical copies are made of animals or plants. of plants has many important commercial implications. It allows a variety of a plant with desirable characteristics to be produced cheaply, quickly and on a large scale. Cloning often follows genetic engineeringA process of changing the structure of a particular gene, usually to remove defects.. It allows many copies of the new organism to be produced.
Cuttings
The simplest way to clone a plant involves taking a cuttingsPart of a plant stem, leaf, or root cut off and used for producing a new plant. An artificial propagation method.. This is an old but simple technique, used by gardeners. A branch from the parent plant is cut off, its lower leaves are removed, and the stem is planted in damp compost. Plant hormones are often used to encourage new roots to develop. The cutting is usually covered in a clear plastic bag to keep it moist and warm. After a few weeks, new roots develop and a new plant grows.
Tissue culture
Another way of cloning plants is by tissue cultureTissue culture is the growth of tissues or cells separate from an animal or plant.. It works with small pieces of plants, called explantA small piece taken from a plant, used in plant cloning.. These are grown in vitroIn vitro experiments are done in glassware such as test tubes and Petri dishes. using sterile agar jellyA gel made from algae, which provides an ideal growth medium. that contains plant hormones and nutrients. This makes tissue culture more expensive and difficult to do than taking cuttings. This is an important way to preserve rare plant species or grow commercially in larger nurseries.
Cloning expensive food crops has been carried out for many years, and causes the public fewer ethicalRelating to right and wrong, eg ethical companies are often ones that act in a responsible way. and moral concerns than animal cloning.