Bioreactor Technology for Plant Propagation

The application of tissue culture methods to the propagation of plants has dramatically altered the way many plants are routinely propagated. As tissue culture technology continues to expand and improve, these techniques will be applied to a growing list of plant species. Most of the species that are presently being propagated on a large scale through tissue culture are herbaceous ornamentals and fruits (Tab. 1). This technology provides the opportunity to produce uniform, disease-free plants where lack of uniformity and/or virus infestations had previously been a serious problem. While tissue culture propagation is not likely to be applied in the near future to crops that are easily and satisfactorily propagated through true seed, there are a large number of species, many of which are important agronomic and horticultural crops, that are reproduced asexually and could benefit from this technology. Most cultivars of crops such as banana, cassava, potato, pineapple, and sugarcane are propagated vegetatively by dividing stems, suckers, tubers, crowns, or other plant parts that sprout to form new plants. Unfortunately, conventional vegetative propagation practices can lead to the spread of plant pathogens, resulting in loss of yield and quality. Through tissue culture, pathogen-free stock plants can be generated, maintained, and increased for cultivation (29). These same benefits apply to fruit trees and ornamentals that produce phenotypically heterogeneous true seed and are propagated asexually in order to reproduce superior individuals.