Clonal propagation or micropropagation techniques have been widely used over many plant species. In general at the end of studies, we come to the conclusion that "high efficient regeneration system of X species was successfully achieved or as such". However, after hardening off, X plant species may survive in a completely different environment rather than its natural populations where it comes from. In this case, how does/should nomenclature take a role in naming the species in vitro?
If you can prove that plants regenerated in vitro are genetically identical to the original plants, you can assume that in vitro plants belong to the same genotype.
The basic objective of clonal micropropagation is to maintain the genetic identity i.e. micropropagation of species is for maintaining the same elite clone of a variety or a species. Under this aim the species remains the same as mentioned by Dr Csaba Mathe. I entirely agree with what he has said here. The plants that survive or die, they are not genetically different. Since the micropropagtion technique of tissue culture requires culturing of plants from an excised tissue it has to be under controlled conditions and hence they are delicate in nature. During hardening these delicate tissues need to be exposed to harsher conditions and hence some of the plants do die. However, all the clonally micropropagated plants are genetically identical to the same species of the plant from which the tissue is excised for culturing. Hence the question of renaming the species in vitro does not arise.
taxonomy of plants are dependent more on the floral morphology. As the word Clonal propagation suggests the plants are clones thus genetically identical to the plants. Hence invitro plants will carry the same nomenclature of the original plant.
Thanx for nice suggestions. totipotency and plasticity are two unique feature of the plant species. Clones and mother plant might be geneticaly similar, I agree with you But, this similarity should also be arbitrary, due to the ploidy level in many angiosperms against incosistent global environment. We see this pattern under in vitro conditions very shortly, rather than its natural process.
Dear Dr. Morris, thanx for your point. In your last sentence, I understood that, regenerants (in vitro propagated plantlets) if mentioned, they can take latin abbreviation (cv or var) which makes them unique.
Also you can call or consider at the beginning as "somaclonal variants" (as Dr. Morris said) due to the origin of the plants (micropropagation), and I think that you could start to include any of the nomenclature suggested by Dr. Morris after you be sure that the new plants are genetically and molecular different from the mother natural population. In addition, you must to take into consideration that the micropropagated plants can induce some epigenetic changes due to the tissue culture technique, which it can disappear after 2 or 3 generations of clonal propagation if it is the main way of propagation from the natural population.
They should be considered as all the variants of plants manipulated and changed by man for utilitarian reasons. So, as Dr. Csaba Máthé mentioned, if they are genetically similar enough, they can be considered the same species. If not, they could have the same nomenclatural treatment as man made hybrids and chromosomal variants. And if they have important morphological and other variations, they could be considered cultivars, as mentioned by Dr. Phillip Morris. That would distinguish them from natural variants.
In-vitro propagation produces plants that are adapted to cultivation. Many of these would never survive in the wild. The sports that arise are often identified as cultivars. When these species are line-bread they effectively become hybrids in that they can have forms very different than the wild types, i.e. domestication. This is why botanist rely on wild collected material for taxonomic identification.
Cloned plants generally retain their characteristics but mutations can occur.
I think Dr. Phillip Morris has given an appropriate answer. I totally agree with his views.
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