Micropropagation : axillary bud multiplication.

Micropropagation techniques are being used by an increasing number of research workers and commercial firms. The main use has been that of mass production of plants ranging from nursery stock species (such as rhododendron or rose), through ornamentals (such as fuchsia or carnation) to fruits (such as apples or raspberries) and vegetables and field crops (such as cauliflower, potato, or lupins) (1-5). As well as enabling the mass production of selected genotypes, micropropagation techniques provide a method whereby viral and bacterial pathogens can be eliminated from infected varieties (1). These techniques are described in Chapter 9 , this volume.