Media for plant tissue culture

Media for plant tissue culture


Media for plant tissue culture generally contain:
  • Water (in tissue culture quality)
  • Macronutrients (such as sugars, amino acids, nitrogen sources, potassium sources, phosphates, magnesium, calcium, sulphur)
  • Micronutrients (vitamins, trace elements...)
  • Additives (gelling agents, charcoal...)
  • Antibiotics (fungicides, bactericides...)
  • Growth regulators (plant hormones or preparations that contain these e.g. birch sap, coconut water, banana powder)
Compositions typically vary with the type of plant (genus or species), and the particular tissue that is being cultured (e.g. meristem, plantlet, asymbiotic seed).
Many types of media are modifications of Murashige and Skoog salt base. Other commonly used media include Gamborg B5, Lloyd and McCown woody plant, Nitsch and Nitsch, Schenk and Hildebrandt, and White salt basal medium.