Role of Tissue Culture in Plant Disease Control: Et Al.

ROLE OF TISSUE CULTURE IN PLANT DISEASE CONTROL
P. S. Srivastaval, Muhammad IqbaF and M. Haseeb MughaF
lCentre for Biotechnology, 2Department of Botany, Faculty of Science,

Hamdard University, Hamdard Nagar, New Delhi 110 062 (INDIA)
1. INTRODUCTION
Agriculture, the backbone of all developments is one of the oldest vocation pursued
from time immemorial. Unfortunately, the damage caused by pathogenic fungi, bacteria and
viruses is in terms of millions of dollars annually. The indiscriminate use of pesticides to
control such diseases has proven hazardous to other forms of life including animals. The
growing number of health problems related to these pesticides has made it imperative to
look for eco-friendly and sustainable programmes to combat this global menace. Disease
control through the heavy application of synthetic/chemical bactericides, fungicides,
insecticides and pesticides has caused tremendous damage to the terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems. It has wiped out hundreds of ecologically important species of plants and animals,
causing a tremendous loss of biodiversity (Aziz et al., 1992; Langeweg, 1989). Another
problem associated with the excess use of chemotherapy in plant disease is its regular / seasonal
applications which renders many pest/pathogens resistant.
The thrust therefore has been to meet the most important challenges before the
mankind: the production of more food, fibres and fuels from inelastic land area to feed the
ever-increasing demand of growing population. It is in these endeavours that Plant Tissue
Culture, an important component of Biotechnology, has come to the rescue and helped the
scientists break new grounds.
2. PLANT DISEASES
Plant diseases are the major threat to agricultural productivity. Fungi, bacteria, viruses
and insect pests are the main causes of economic losses across the globe. Despite the frequent
use of pesticides, 20-30% of crops are lost due to pathogens and pests annually (Estruch et
a!., 1997; Peferoen, 1997). Inevitably, this has necessitated the programme for resistant varieties
at global level but success has been met only in limited cases. The cost incurred for practices
Biotechnological Approaches in Biocontrol of Plant Pathogens

Edited by Mukerji et aI., Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, New York, 1999 197
and management of chemical control runs nearly into 10 billion US $ per annum (Goswami
et al., 1998; Oerke, 1994).
In modem agriculture, protection technology for crops is of paramount importance.
On one hand, there is enormous increase in the popUlation and on the other agricultural land
is shrinking at a much faster pace than hitherto considered. If this trend continues, time is not
far when, inspite of the best technologies and infrastructure, it would be extremely difficult to
feed the growing popUlation (Kher and Larka, 1995).
Search for alternative pesticides or resistant lines of crops has become a serious concern
and needs a highly directional and purposeful approach. The problem is grave and a reliable
solution could be possible only through the appropriate use of biotechnological approaches.
With the advancement in the biotechnological techniques, it has become feasible to develop
resistant and disease-free plants for future use.
Development oftransgenics particularly for better resistance against various diseases
and pests is a fast growing and a successful field that holds great promise. Identification and
subsequent introduction of certain tolerant genes from microorganisms or naturally resistant
plant species into the susceptible host confer resistance against specific diseases.
Tissue culture has become the crucial platform for all the genetic manipulations being
carried out with plant systems. From mere callus induction and regeneration of roots and
shoots, the technique has helped transformation experiment's leading to transgenics. Plant
tissue culture techniques are based on the property of totipotency (the capacity to grow and
regenerate) and the exploitation of the nutritional status of variol,ls explants. This aseptic
technique offers certain advantages over the conventional methods. Production of haploids,
creation of usable genetic variability (somaclonal variation), somatic hybrids, genetically
manipulated (genetically engineering) plants and micropropagation are some novel
applications of tissue culture.
In vitro methods thus offer a tool for cellular and DNA-mediated intervention, variant
selection and multiplication of desired clones. The effective way to eliminate the virus has
been the culture of apical meristems.
Infact, repeated subcultures of tomato roots in vitro by White (1934) and subsequent
work by Limasset and Cornuet (1949) led Morel and Martini (1952) to postulate that it is
possible to isolate the apical meristem of systemically infected plants and grow it in vitro to
raise virus free plants. Ever since, the technique of apical meristem culture has been
successfully employed to a large number of valuable cultivars of different plants (Quack,
1977). In other cases, the terminal and axillary/lateral buds can also be available for meristem
culture. However, there are reports that suggest the superiority of apical meristem culture
over lateral-bud culture, for example Chrysanthemum (Hollings and Stone 1968). With bulbs
and corms also it is possible to raise virus-free plants. However, this may not be universally
applicable.
3. ERADICATION TECHNIQUES
Three methods have been recognized as efficient ways to eliminate virus and raise
virus-free plants. First, by isolating the apical meristem or the root tips from infected plants.
Second, use of antimetabolites either applied to the infected plant part before bud excision,
or incorporation into the nutrient medium. Third, infected plants are subjected to temperature
treatment (37°C) which retards or inhibits the multiplication of viruses. It has often been
observed that heat-treated apical meristems are better and are even more efficient in eliminating
the viruses which can't be achieved through meristem-culture only (Quack, 1977).
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ROLE OF TISSUE CULTURE IN PLANT DISEASE CONTROL

P. S. Srivastaval, Muhammad IqbaF and M. Haseeb MughaF

lCentre for Biotechnology, 2Department of Botany, Faculty of Science,

Biotechnological Approaches in Biocontrol of Plant Pathogens

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