Learn to successfully propagate plants using tissue culture!

In this plant tissue culture course you will learn everything you need to know about how to successfully propagate plants using tissue culture. Tissue culture involves growing plants from very small sections (sometimes microscopic) in a laboratory. It is a propagation method which is being increasingly used. Tissue culture is not appropriate for many plants, but for others such as orchids, some indoor plants and in particular, many new plant varieties, it is a very popular propagation method.

• Grow Ferns, Orchids, Cut Flowers or Other Plants.
• Learn to produce large quantities of new varieties fast and at low cost.
• Online or Correspondence
• Payment Plans available
• Unlimited tutor support by email.

Why study this Plant Tissue Culture course?

Growing plants does not always involve a traditional garden or hydroponics system – some plants can be grown from small cuttings in a laboratory. Careerline’s online Plant Tissue Culture course will introduce you to the popular and efficient propagation method of tissue culture. The skills taught in this course can be applied to a broad range of careers, including science, horticulture, agriculture, and education.

Whether you hope to upskill, become a more skilled hobbyist, or get a head start on future studies, studying with Careerline will have a positive impact on your future. This plant tissue culture course will help you to improve your knowledge of growing ferns, orchids, cut flowers, and other plants using tissue culture.

What will you learn?

Careerline’s online Plant Tissue Culture course is designed as a comprehensive introduction to propagating plants using tissue culture. You will learn how to propagate plants from both stem cuttings, like herbs, cane, softwood and hardwood, and non-stem cuttings such as bulbs, leaves, and roots. In addition, you will develop an understanding of the materials and equipment needed for successful tissue culture propagation.

This course will also teach you how to care for cuttings, including watering, managing nutrition, testing for toxins, and potting. You will learn how to set up a propagation area, manage light, air, and temperature, and mitigate disease. Finally, you will learn to estimate the costs of your tissue culture production, take advantage of efficiencies in cutting propagation, and keep records.

Who is this online Plant Tissue Culture course for?

Careerline’s online Plant Tissue Culture course is designed for both beginner and experienced gardeners and plant scientists. If you already work with plants, this course will allow you to broaden your skillset. Science educators who study this course will feel confident when teaching the concept of tissue culture to their students.

In addition, gardeners who are interested in plant propagation for leisure or business can use this course to build the skills they require to succeed.

This course is also ideal for anyone interested in pursuing further study in plant science, horticulture, biology, nursery management, or farming. You will be introduced to concepts that are taught in tertiary and vocational courses. This will help you to feel prepared and confident as you continue your academic and professional journey.

Course Aims:

• Explain the nature of plant growth processes, in the tissue culture environment.
• Determine growing media to use for tissue culture.
• Specify appropriate micropropagation procedures for different purposes.
• Explain the management of environmental control equipment used in tissue culture.
• Design a layout for a commercial tissue culture facility.
• Determine appropriate commercial applications for tissue culture.

Course Outline:

There are 9 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction

• • The principles of propagating plants by cuttings.
  • Importance of cuttings
  • Phenotype vs genotype
  • Why choose cutting propagation
  • Where to get cuttings from
  • Basic cutting technique.

2. Plant Nutrients

• • Ease with which tissue forms roots
  • Types of stem cuttings (softwood, hardwood, semi hardwood, herbaceous, tip, heel, nodal, cane etc)
  • Treatments (eg. basal heat, mist, tent, etc)
  • Testing rooting, etc.

3. The Laboratory

• • Leaf cuttings
  • Root cuttings (natural suckering with or without division, Induced suckering, In situ whole root cuttings; ex situ detached root cuttings)
  • Bulb cuttings, scaling and twin scaling, sectioning, basal cuttage.

4. Micropropagation Techniques

• • Stock plant Quality
  • Criteria for Selecting Plant Material
  • Planting Out Stock Plants
  • Care of Stock Plants
  • Stock Plants for Root Cuttings
  • Disinfecting cutting material
  • Sources of Hypochlorite
  • Plant Containers
  • Tools and Equipment

5. Plant Hormones

• • Propagation media
  • Biological, chemical and physical characteristics of propagation and potting media
  • Testing for toxins
  • Air filled porosity
  • Nutrition Management
  • Potting up cuttings
  • Soil-less mixes, rockwool, etc.

6. The Tissue Culture Environment

• • Juvenility
  • Cutting Treatments
  • Hormones & their application; auxins, cytokinins, gibberelins
  • Applying Hormone
  • Anti transparents, acid/base treatments, disinfectants etc
  • Callusing
  • Mycorrhizae
  • Carbon Dioxide Enrichment, etc.

7. Commercial Applications

• • Creating and managing an appropriate cutting environment in terms of: Water; Disease; Temperature; Light and Air Quality.
  • Greenhouses and other structures, cloches, cold frames, greenhouses, etc
  • Watering methods (mist, fog, capillary etc)
  • Heating, etc.
  • The Nursery Site

8. Taking Plant Out of Culture

• • Estimating cost of production
  • Efficiencies in Cutting Propagation
  • Keeping records
  • Management

9. Culture of Selected Species

• • Begonia
  • Cattleya
  • Cymbidium
  • Review of a range of other plants