Method of producing thousands of plants through tissue culture is known as -
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Micro-propagation
(1) Totipotency — Incorrect. This is the capacity of a single cell or explant to grow into a whole plant. It is the ability that makes tissue culture possible. It is not the name of the method.
(2) Micro-propagation — Correct. The explants are grown in a sterile nutrient medium with a carbon source, salts, vitamins, amino acids and growth regulators such as auxins and cytokinins. Thousands of plants can be made in this way in a short time. This method is called micro-propagation. The plants are genetically identical to the parent, so they are somaclones.
(3) Somatic hybridisation — Incorrect. This is the fusion of protoplasts of two different varieties of plants to get a hybrid. It does not mean making many identical plants.
(4) Green Revolution — Incorrect. This was the large increase in food supply from better crop varieties and agrochemicals. It is not a tissue culture method.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 25-05-2023 (Slot 3).
NCERT Extract:
Biotechnological Applications in Agriculture – “… You will learn how to accomplish this in higher classes. It is important to stress here that the nutrient medium must provide a carbon source such as sucrose and also inorganic salts, vitamins, amino acids and growth regulators like auxins, cytokinins etc. By application of these methods it is possible to achieve propagation of a large number of plants in very short durations. This method of producing thousands of plants through tissue culture is called micro-propagation.”