Conventional Methods of Controlling Microbial Contaminants in Meristematic Tissue Cultures: A Review
Abstract
Microbial contaminants in meristematic tissue cultures remain a big problem in the quest to grow plants in vitro in the laboratory prior to commercial scale roll out. The ubiquitous nature and the ability to compete favourably with explants for the same nutrient in the growth medium make these contaminants a serious threat in meristematic tissue cultures. The common microbial contaminants frequently reported in in vitro meristematic tissue cultures are endophytes such as bacteria, fungi and sometimes viruses. Most of the epiphytic microbes are usually removed by surface sterilization but the endophytes may persist to contaminate the culture. Endophytic microorganisms; usually bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi colonize almost every plant species. This review therefore focuses on the present conventional methods of controlling microbial contaminants in meristematic tissue cultures from the list of relevant available articles.
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