The following four main steps of tissue culture techniques. The steps are: 1. Inoculation of Explant 2. Incubation of Culture 3. Sub-Culturing 4. Transplantation of the Regenerated Plant.
Step # 1. Inoculation of Explant:
Successful control of contamination largely depends upon the precautions taken to prevent the entry of microorganisms at the time of transferring the sterilised explants on the nutrient medium. Dust, hair, hands and clothes are the potential sources of contamination. The inoculating chamber should be dust free the operator should wear sterile headgear and clothes (aprons) before entering the culture area.
The hands should be wiped with 95% alcohol and the transfer area also should be cleaned and wiped with 95% alcohol before starting the transfer process. Talking or sneezing should be avoided during transfer of explant into the media. The neck or mouth of culture container should be flamed, the transferring instruments also to be flamed and dipped in alcohol.
Care should be taken so that the explant should not touch the edge of culture vessel, and after transferring the mouth should be closed by cap or by cotton plug and petridishes to be sealed by ‘Parafilm’. During transfer it is also to ensure that the plant tissue should be exposed to the media properly.
Step # 2. Incubation of Culture:
After inoculation, the cultures are incubated in culture room or in a BOD incubator at 25±2°C temp. For certain plant or for some particular culture type below or above 25°C is needed.
Some tissues grow well under low light condition (approx. 1000 lux), for regeneration light and dark periods are needed, and for regenerated plantlet well lighted (approx. 3000 lux) condition and 16h light with 8h dark period is needed. The illumination in the culture room is provided by cool white fluorescent light placed approx. 18″ above the culture racks.
Low humidity causes the quick desiccation of culture medium and high humidity is favourable for contamination of culture medium. Specific relative humidity (20-98%) is to be maintained in the culture room and uniform air circulation is to be done properly.
For cell suspension culture agitation and aeration is secured by the use of shaker systems; open platform orbital shakers or the orbital incubators fitted with fluorescent lights to provide different day/night regimes.
Step # 3. Sub-Culturing:
The growth and development of tissues cultured in vitro are generally monitored by observing the cultures at regular intervals in the culture room or incubators.
Based on the observations either with hand-lens or with the aid of simple microscope under aseptic conditions, the explants may be required to transfer to new media (freshly prepared) or with new ingredients or hormone composition depending on the state of growth of cell or tissue.
The same precautions and full aseptic conditions are maintained during the transfer process also. The delaying of this process may lead to inhibition of proper development of tissues and also delaying the regeneration of plantlets.
In case of suspension culture the change of media or fresh inoculation at quick intervals is needed and also for callus culture the sub-culturing of the callus tissue is needed to get the callus tissue in dividing conditions.
Step # 4. Transplantation of the Regenerated Plant:
Plants regenerated from in vitro tissue culture are transplanted to soil in pots. Prior to transfer to pots the acclimatization of these regenerated plants are needed. The plants at this time develop adequate root systems and cuticular leaf surface structure so that it can withstand the field environmental condition.
The process of acclimatization needs the humid chamber and a slow process to make the plantlet habituated from high humid condition to normal atmospheric humidity. The greenhouse or the growth chamber should have artificial light system also which includes a mixture of fluorescent and incandescent lamps designed to provide balanced wavelengths of light for plant growth and photosynthesis.
The greenhouse facilities are needed for winter crops and summer crops differently for maintenance of proper temp, required, air circulation and the relative humidity. The potted plants are grown in field for further observation, flowering and normal seed setting to get the next progeny.