The Application of Biotechnology in Pteridophytes: An Overview

Abstract

Pteridophytes are world wide in distribution having 12,000 species distributed throughout the world in wide range of habitats and have enormous economic potentiality and been used in various ways like medicine, sources of food, fodder, fibre, flavouring agents, aromatic oil, perfume, dyes and folk remedies. Some species have also identified as insect repellants, indicator of metals and hyper accumulator of noxious metals and metalloids. The lack of flowers and the concept of the" invisible seed "are associated with myths and superstition. The sexual method of propagation involves raising of plants through spores which is depended on several factors such as viability, storage, sterilization of spores, media, density of spore sowing, temperature, pH range and gametophyte differentiation and sporophyte formation. This method requires several factors and skill and is also comparatively slow and propagation by this method in nurseries was faced with inherent dangers of moss and algal invasion and contamination with other species of ferns. Tissue culture has solved all these problems neatly. Endangered, rare, endemic and economically important ferns and fern allies which are difficult to grow can be micro propagated through tissue culture and these can also be restored to their natural habitat. In comparison to conventional method, the application of tissue culture has resulted in some major changes and by using this method propagation of pteridophytic plants can be done rapidly. In this aspect very little work has been done and work on Pteridophytes has been initiated in the last quarter of this century in comparison to gymnosperms and angiosperms.