Impact of Tissue Culture on Agriculture in India

Biotechnology has been globally accepted as one of the important tools for direct application in agriculture. It has a strong and positive influence on the agricultural sector worldwide. Agricultural biotechnology includes plant tissue culture (PTC), applied microbiology, and applied molecular biology contributing to the production of crops with improved food, feed, fiber and fuel. The technique of PTC is well translated from ‘concept’ to ‘commercialization’. As an industry, PTC is no more a nascent industry in India. It is flourishing with multidirectional growth and multimillion dollar turn over. Several crop plants are routinely propagated (anthuriums, bananas, strawberries, sugarcane, orchids etc.) by tissue culture technique and are being traded domestically and internationally for nearly three decades. Since PTC is a powerful technique for mass production in many crops, it has become an important tool in the nursery and farming industry. PTC technique has been responsible for bringing about the second green revolution in our country. The growth of PTC industry in India, its impact on the growing needs of the market, its business potential and the challenges this industry is facing are discussed in the review article.