Question

Somatic hybridization technique is used to raise hybrid plants with combined characters of two different plants.

1. How is it achieved?

2. Give an example

3. What are soma clones?

Answer 1

1. Protoplast can’isolated from cells by digesting their walls using enzymes. Somatic hybridization is the fusion of isolated protoplasts from two different varieties of plants having desirable characters.

The fusion results in the formation of hybrid protoplast. These protoplast are further grown into a new plant. The plants obtained are called somatic hybrids.

2. Pomato

3. Plants got during micro propagation (tissue culture) are genetically identical to the original plant from where they are grown.