Let us make an in-depth study of the importance of organogenesis in different fields of plant science.
The regeneration of plant from cell and callus culture via Organogenesis is a wide field of plant science. So, the importance and applications of organogenesis are vast and varied.
With the discovery of cellular totipotency and the development of methods for regeneration of plant from in vitro cell culture, a large number of plant species including economically important crop plants, medicinal plants, horticulturally important plants, timber yielding plants etc. have been successfully regenerated from callus culture via organogenesis and the reports of regeneration of other plants are still increasing day by day.
The production of large numbers of haploids from microspores and the possibility of raising triploids from endosperm cell culture are the dramatic instances of the potential role of organogenesis in genetics and plant breeding.
Improvement of crop plants through manipulation at the cellular level such as the vegetative hybridization by the fusion of isolated protoplasts of distantly related plants, the transfer of foreign genetic material in protoplasts etc. is possible only if somatic cells are able to give rise to whole plant; a plant breeder is interested in obtaining modified plants than modified cells.
Regeneration of whole plants through organogenesis is of special interest in mutagenic studies. Chemical mutagens and ionizing radiation can be used in bringing about genetic diversity in plants and by means of cell culture and the regeneration of whole plants from somatically mutant cell types, the new strains of mutant plants are obtained through organogenesis.
This method is very useful in mutation breeding of both sexually and vegetatively reproducing plants. A new source of genetic variability is also available in plants regenerated from cell culture. This soma clonal variation is a useful source of variability only if plants can be efficiently regenerated from the cell culture via organogenesis.
Variation in chromosome number of cells i.e. aneuploid, polyploid has also been observed in callus culture. By means of organogenesis a wide range of aneuploid plants have been recovered from tissue culture of numerous plants. Reduction in chromosome number has been noted in plants regenerated from callus culture of triploid rye-grass hybrids.
A wide range of aneuploid having addition and reduction in chromosome number are also achieved in sugarcane. Each of these chromosomal variations is associated with phenotypic variation, including agriculturally useful characters such as disease resistance.
Therefore, variability in chromosome number, if not associated with depression of yield, is particularly valuable in vegetatively propagated medicinal plants and agricultural crops. Freeze preservation of cell culture of many plant species and the regeneration of plant from them after a desirable time period is another importance of organogenesis for the conservation of endangered plant species.
In the application of in vitro methods for the improvement of the genetically potential plants for the production of primary and secondary compounds, there generation of plants from cell and tissue cultures attains special significance. Therefore, the success of all available in vitro cellular and molecular techniques for the improvement of plants depends upon the ability to regenerate plants from single cells and callus culture via organogenesis.