Re: TC and OS

Hosta Friends,

I think we are confusing terms. Unless a sport occurs, a plant from tc
is identical (phenotypically and genotypically) to OS. To me, OS means
it came from someone and the chance of a label mistake (or perhaps a bud
sport occurence) is minimized by the rogueing and selection process. We
are talking apples and oranges. TC is a micropropagation process. OS is
historical knowledge of the origin of the plant and macropropagation.

Any plant in the process of being increased by micropropagation must
begin with something (i.e. a meristem). One gets the meristem from the
tip of a growing plant. That growing plant can be a division, a
previously propagated tc liner which was once young or a seedling. Every
plant must originate from a previous source of living tissue. So every
plant in tc is identical to the plant from which it began (unless it
"sports"). Sports do not occur any more frequently in tc than they do 
in the garden. TC does not induce sports as many people incorrectly
believe. TC is nothing more  than propagating cuttings of a clone under
sterile conditions in gel with fertilizer, natural or synthetic hormones
and vitamines suspended in the colloids. It is a substitute for cutting
propagation media.

The major difference between plants propagated by tc and mature
divisions is the stage of maturity and the quantity of stored food in
the larger sized mass of tissue of division macropropagated plants.. TC
plantlets are also divisions (shoots) . Technically, they are
vegetatively rooted cuttings of  clones of OS plants. So lets not
compare tiny tc plantlets with large, more mature OS plants using 
qualitative ( genetic)  criteria to describe their differences. They are
identical and similar to OS in all other respects except size and
maturity. 

Jim Hawes Oakland MD
hawesj@gcnet.net

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