Plant Physiology - Lecture Notes - O. M. Tarnopilska 2019

7. Plant Growth and Development
7.7 Plant Regeneration

Regeneration is the restoration of a damaged or lost body part by an Organism. The capacity for regeneration is widespread in the plant kingdom, spanning from lower to higher taxa. These forms are highly diverse, which is due to specific reasons. Firstly, regeneration is one of the primary, non-specific defense mechanisms against various types of damage for plants with a sessile lifestyle. Secondly, many forms of regeneration are successfully utilized by plants as a means of Vegetative Reproduction.

Cell Differentiation is The Emergence of qualitative differences between Cells resulting from their specialization. Some cells differentiate very early, already within the apical meristem, such as epidermal cells. Most other meristematic cells initially show little external variation. However, their future specialization is usually determined as early as the division zone. The qualitative differences between cells are driven by processes of differential Gene activity. Every vegetative cell in a plant organism contains the complete Genetic information for The Development of the entire organism within its genome and, under certain conditions, is capable of regenerating a whole plant (the property of totipotency). Nevertheless, while functioning as part of the organism, a cell will express only a fraction of its genetic information. Specific combinations of phytohormones, metabolites, and physicochemical factors serve as signals (effectors) triggering the expression of a particular genetic program.