A plantain is a close relative of the banana and an important food crop in African countries.
A plantain is shown in the diagram.
To extend the growing of plantains into other countries and farms, growers in Africa have used micropropagation.
The steps of micropropagation technique are set out below:
Step | Process |
1 | A piece of plantain is placed in bleach |
2 | A small amount of the tissue is cut off and placed on nutrient agar |
3 | A callus develops on the agar |
4 | Hormones are added to the callus |
5 | The callus begins to form roots and shoots |
6 | The plantlets are transferred into soil or compost to grow |
Explain the purpose of the bleach in step 1.
Define the term callus as set out in step 3 of the table in part (a).
State two advantages of the use of micropropagation to extend the growing of plantains in different African countries.
Small pieces of plant tissue from anywhere in a plant can grow into new individuals during the process of micropropagation.
State why small pieces of animal tissue from any part of an animal cannot grow into new individuals.
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