- A Shoot meristem tissue generally grows measurably faster when placed in culture medium than other available tissues overall in most cases under typical conditions
- B Shoot apical meristems are typically free of viruses as viruses spread through vascular tissue which has not yet differentiated in the meristem
- C Meristem cells alone are sometimes understood to possess totipotency, a property that ordinary leaf cells largely lack overall according to standard textbooks
- D Shoot meristems are known to generate a considerably greater amount of callus tissue than other types of explant material in general practice
Correct answer: B. Shoot apical meristems are typically free of viruses as viruses spread through vascular tissue which has not yet differentiated in the meristem
Explanation: Viruses spread systemically through the vascular system. The shoot apical meristem is a small region of actively dividing cells where vascular differentiation has not yet occurred, making it typically free of viruses. Meristem culture therefore produces virus-free plants.
Concept context
Learn about animal husbandry, plant breeding, tissue culture, biofortification, and single cell protein.
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