SOMACLONAL VARIATION REVIEW
SOMACLONAL VARIATION The accumulation of genetic variability is an important aspect in plant breeding. The increasing use of plant tissue (in vitro techniques) as an unconventional means of crop improvement has resulted in the introduction of genetic changes into such plants. These genetic alterations have been recovered in the plants regenerated from cell cultures, and could be used to develop new breeding lines. The occurrence of genetic variation among plants regenerated from in vitro culture has been referred to as somaclonal variation. Variations have been observed for morphological traits like pigment production, biochemical characters like nicotine synthesis and chromosome number and structure TYPES OF SOMACLONAL VARIATION Somaclonal variation results from both pre-existing genetic variation within the explants and the variation induced during the tissue culture phase .There are two types of somaclonal variation: heritable (genetic) and epigenetic. Heritable variatio...