ORCHID AGAR (Plant Tissue Culture Media)

Description

Orchids exhibit flowers of exquisite beauty and variety of patterns and belong to one of the largest family, the Orchidaceae. Orchids are the first floricultural crop successfully mass propagated through tissue culture technique. Orchids may be propagated either sexually or asexually. Vegetative propagation is common practice for many of the commercial orchids. Germination of seeds can be symbiotic or asymbiotic. Symbiotic seed germination is done under natural conditions, the orchid seeds germinate after being infected by fungus and mycorrhiza. Orchid seeds have only minute reserves of food and the symbiotic organisms provide the required nutrients. Lewis Knudson in 1916 formulated a medium in which orchid seed were germinated successfully without fungal infection. Asymbiotic germination is done by aseptic inoculation of seeds on medium.