The overwhelming response to the First Edition of the book that led to its running out of print in this short duration encouraged to bring out its Second edition. Many new chapters have been included and existing chapters of first edition have been improved in light of available current literature. Plant tissue culture is the technique of growing plant cells, tissues and organs in an artificial prepared nutrient medium static or liquid, under aseptic conditions. It has advanced the knowledge of fundamental botany, especially in the field of agriculture, horticulture, plant breeding, forestry, somatic cell hybridization, phytopathology and industrial production of plant metabolites, etc. The term tissue culture is actually a misnomer borrowed from the field of animal tissue culture. It is a misnomer because plant micropropagation is concerned with the whole plantlet and not just isolated tissues, though the explant may be a particular tissue. The terms plantlet culture or micropropagation, therefore, are more accurate.

The nursery trade commonly accepts this method of propagation and it has had a significant impact on commercial horticulture. Applications of plant tissue culture vary from the curious gardener multiplying plants in a modest home kitchen, to the renowned scientist working in an elaborate laboratory. It reaches from the orchid hobbyist who has learned to multiply a few personal favorites, to a million-dollar industry producing houseplants, ornamentals, and secondary products.

Plant tissue culture, in recent years, has created unprecedented opportunities; therefore, Government of India has established at least 32 institutions where a strong infrastructure for training and research in plant tissue culture is going on. Post-graduate M.Sc./M.Tech and Ph.D. programmes in biotechnology (including plant tissue culture) have also been started in at least 28 selected universities. At undergraduate and post-graduate levels, Indian universities have also introduced courses in their syllabi. I would like to acknowledge the valuable help received by me from various sources.