1 of 10

CYTOKININS IN PLANTS

Discovery, Functions and Applications in Plant Tissue Culture

2 of 10

What are Cytokinins?

​

    • Cytokinins are plant hormones (phytohormones).
    • They promote cell division (cytokinesis).
    • Derived mainly from adenine (a nitrogen base).
    • Essential for plant growth and development.

3 of 10

Discovery of Cytokinins

​

    • First discovered in 1955 by F. Skoog and C. Miller.
    • Kinetin was identified from autoclaved DNA.
    • Later, natural cytokinins such as Zeatin were discovered in maize.
    • Zeatin was the first naturally occurring cytokinin identified.

4 of 10

Types of Cytokinins

​

    • Natural Cytokinins: Zeatin, Isopentenyl adenine (iP).
    • Synthetic Cytokinins: Kinetin, BAP (Benzylaminopurine), TDZ.
    • Widely used synthetic cytokinin in tissue culture: BAP.

5 of 10

Functions of Cytokinins in Plants

​

    • Stimulate cell division.
    • Promote shoot formation.
    • Delay leaf senescence (aging).
    • Enhance nutrient mobilization.
    • Regulate apical dominance (with auxin interaction).

6 of 10

Cytokinin and Auxin Interaction

​

    • High cytokinin : Low auxin → Shoot formation.
    • Low cytokinin : High auxin → Root formation.
    • Equal ratio → Callus formation.
    • Balance determines organ development in tissue culture.

7 of 10

Use in Plant Tissue Culture

​

    • Used in MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium.
    • Promotes multiple shoot induction.
    • Used in micropropagation.
    • Essential for regeneration of plants from explants.

8 of 10

Applications in Biotechnology

​

    • Clonal propagation of crops.
    • Genetic transformation studies.
    • Germplasm conservation.
    • Production of disease-free plants.

9 of 10

Advantages in Tissue Culture

​

    • Rapid multiplication.
    • Uniform plant production.
    • Year-round propagation.
    • Improved plant regeneration efficiency.

10 of 10

Conclusion

​

    • Cytokinins are essential plant hormones.
    • Discovered through tissue culture experiments.
    • Play key role in shoot regeneration.
    • Critical component in modern plant biotechnology.