The culturing of cells, protoplasts, and tissues is one of the most successful areas in the realm of biotechnology. The manipulation of cells and cellular components, tissue handling, large-scale and high-speed seedling production, and the adoption of techniques for the genetic improvement of plants are just some of the many important areas of tissue culture. Advances in understanding the physiology of growth and in vitro development have led to the optimization of methods for accelerating and improving plant development. Furthermore, tissue culture methods can produce numerous benefits in conventional breeding programs by offering a method to overcome the limitations of the reproductive system.
An enormous advantage of tissue culture is the possibility the technique offers to plant breeders for the exploration of genetic diversity within a short period, enabling the concurrent regeneration and proliferation of plants through micropropagation using methods including somaclonal variation, mutagenesis, embryo rescue, the production of double haploid lines, synthetic seed production, in vitro selection, and the conservation and exchange of germplasm.