In this article we will discuss about:- 1. Discovery and Definition of Somaclonal Variation 2. Techniques to Generate Somaclonal Variations 3. Selection and Isolation 4. Screening 5. Applications. Discovery and Definition of Somaclonal Variation: Improvement of plants through alterations or additions of traits are some of the main objectives in plant biotechnology. Plant breeders have recognized the potential sources of [...]
The following are the some of the examples of Somaclonal Variation: 1. Sugarcane 2. Potato 3. Tobacco 4. Rice 5. Barley. 1. Sugarcane: Application of somaclonal variation in crop improvement programme was established in sugarcane. The Hawaian Sugar Planters Association Experimental Station recorded genetic variation among sugarcane plants regenerated from tissue culture. Variations were recorded based on cytogenetic, morphological and [...]
Several possible mechanisms are responsible for the origin of somaclonal variation. Number of processes can operate simultaneously in one culture. The mechanisms are: 1. Karyotypic Change 2. Chromosomal Rearrangement 3. Nucleotide Pool Imbalance 4. Cryptic Transposable Elements 5. Gene Amplification 6. Somatic Gene Rearrangement 7. Somatic Crossing Over. Mechanism # 1. Karyotypic Change: Several plants alter their chromosome number in [...]