Some of the important applications of the meristem culture are:
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The meristem culture is important in the field of the crop improvement, clonal propagation, for the germplasm conservation and also the germplasm exchange.
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Meristems are used for the vegetative propagation of the crops for producing the clones. So it is also termed as the mericloning that is cloning through meristem.
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By meristem culture it is possible produce the viruses and parasite free plantlets. Since the meristems are devoid of viruses. The meristematic cells are having high metabolic activities so virus multiplication is uncommon. The presence of high auxin level acts as an inhibitory factors in the virus multiplication.
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The meristem culture is used for the propagation of the haploid plants.
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The meristem culture is also used in the micro propagation.
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The meristem culture is useful in the germplasm exchange of clonal crops.
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The germplasm conservation of clonal crops creates problems. The freeze preservation of the meristem in liquid nitrogen is suggested for the long term preservation of the germplasm.
