Applications of Plant Tissue Culture for Crop Improvement and Biodiversity Conservation

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Cell Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 2183

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
Interests: plant cell and tissue culture; plant transformation; plant breeding; plant conservation; programmed cell death; mutagenesis
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Guest Editor
Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, Division of Palermo, National Research Council, Via Ugo La Malfa, n° 153, I-90146 Palermo, Italy
Interests: plant cell biology; plant biotechnology; somatic embryogenesis; genetic diversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, Division of Palermo, National Research Council, Via Ugo La Malfa, 153, I-90146 Palermo, Italy
Interests: plant propagation, micropropagation and regeneration of endemic and endangered trees, shrubs and perennials starting from several plant explant; physiology of plant development, focused especially on recalcitrance of rooting process; studies on biodiversity and conservation of endemic and endangered plants throw plant biotechnologies; somatic embryogenesis for sanitation, regeneration and propagation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The foundational principles of plant tissue culture trace back to the ground-breaking studies of Austrian botanist Gottlieb Haberlandt in 1902. Haberlandt's pioneering studies demonstrated that plant cells cultured in vitro could survive and grow, laying the groundwork for future research. However, significant advancements were made only in the mid-20th century, largely due to the development of essential techniques and discoveries such as the role of plant hormones, the demonstration of somatic embryogenesis, and the development of basal culture media. Since then, the field of plant tissue culture has advanced significantly, enabling the in vivo regeneration of almost any plant species. The in vitro culture of plant cells and tissues also serves as an ideal model system for studying complex biological processes.

After more than a century of research, there is still strong interest in this area due to the critical role that robust in vitro plant regeneration protocols play in the application of advanced biotechnologies. Today, plant tissue culture remains integral to both basic and applied plant sciences. It is instrumental in genetic research, functional genomics, and the development of biotech crops. Recent advancements include the application of CRISPR/Cas9 for precise genome editing and the use of cell cultures to produce pharmaceutical compounds, cosmeceuticals, and biofuels. By enabling the rapid development and deployment of crop varieties adapted to changing environmental conditions, plant tissue culture stands at the forefront of sustainable agricultural practices and ecological restoration efforts.

This Special Issue explores the transformative role of plant tissue culture techniques in modern agriculture and biodiversity conservation, highlighting innovative applications of in vitro culture methods to enhance crop yield, quality, and resilience against biotic and abiotic stresses. It also covers fundamental studies using in vitro culture systems.

This Issue examines advancements in somatic embryogenesis, micropropagation, in vitro mutagenesis, and genetic transformation that facilitate the development of superior crop varieties. These advancements are essential in addressing the challenges posed by climate change in the coming years. Additionally, this Special Issue underscores the significance of plant tissue culture in conserving crop genetic resources and endangered plant species. By providing a platform for cutting-edge research on both commercial and underutilized crops, this Special Issue aims to foster a deeper understanding of how in vitro plant tissue culture can address global challenges in food security and biodiversity conservation, ultimately contributing to sustainable agricultural practices and ecological balance.

The topics covered in this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Micropropagation;
  2. Somatic embryogenesis and its applications;
  3. Genetic transformation and genome editing;
  4. Disease resistance and pathogen-free plant production;
  5. Abiotic stress resistance;
  6. In vitro techniques for distant hybridization, polyploidy, and doubled haploids;
  7. The conservation of endangered plant species;
  8. Cryopreservation and long-term storage;
  9. Habitat restoration and ecosystem rehabilitation;
  10. The production of plant-derived food, fuel, medicine and cosmetic ingredients.

Dr. Ranjith Pathirana
Dr. Francesco Carimi
Dr. Angela Carra
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant tissue culture
  • crop improvement
  • biodiversity conservation
  • somatic embryogenesis
  • micropropagation
  • in vitro mutagenesis
  • genetic transformation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 1020 KiB  
Article
A Comparison of DNA-Methylation during Protoplast Culture of Ponkan Mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) and Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)
by Lun Wang, Jiaojiao Zhang and Xiaoyong Xu
Plants 2024, 13(20), 2878; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13202878 - 15 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1370
Abstract
The epigenetic variation in protoplast regeneration is a topic that has attracted interest recently. To elucidate the role of DNA methylation in the regeneration of protoplasts from the ponkan (Citrus reticulata), this study employs the methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) molecular marker [...] Read more.
The epigenetic variation in protoplast regeneration is a topic that has attracted interest recently. To elucidate the role of DNA methylation in the regeneration of protoplasts from the ponkan (Citrus reticulata), this study employs the methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) molecular marker technique to analyze changes in DNA methylation levels and patterns during the isolation and culture of protoplasts from ponkan and tobacco. Additionally, differential DNA methylation fragments are cloned, sequenced, and subjected to bioinformatics analysis. The results reveal that, for non-regenerable ponkan mesophyll protoplasts, DNA methylation levels increase by 3.98% after isolation and then show a trend of initial decrease followed by an increase during culture. In contrast, for regenerable ponkan callus protoplasts and tobacco mesophyll protoplasts, DNA methylation levels decrease by 1.75% and 2.33%, respectively, after isolation. During culture, the DNA methylation levels of ponkan callus protoplasts first increase and then decrease, while those of tobacco mesophyll protoplasts show an opposite trend of initial decrease followed by an increase. Regarding DNA methylation patterns, ponkan mesophyll protoplasts exhibit primarily hypermethylation changes accompanied by a small amount of gene demethylation, whereas ponkan callus protoplasts are dominated by demethylation changes with some genes undergoing hypermethylation. The methylation exhibits dynamic changes in protoplast isolation regeneration. By recovering, cloning, sequencing, and performing BLASTn alignment analysis on specific methylation modification sites in the ponkan, 18 DNA sequences with high homology are identified which are found to be involved in various biological functions, thereby establishing a foundational basis for genetic editing in protoplasts. Full article
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