Noopur Singh, Arvind Singh Negi and Manu Pant
Abstract
Glycine max, commonly known as Soybean is a legume crop which is consumed globally. Due to its high nutritive content, soybean is considered as a cheaper source of complete protein that can address the problem of malnutrition in the poorer sections of society. Soybean can also fulfill the demand of vegetable oil which, at present, is being met through imports. However, need of large cultivation area and suitable climatic conditions restrict the production of high quality and high yield soybean varieties. In this scenario, plant tissue culture techniques such as embryo culture, somatic embryogenesis, organogenic differentiation and protoplast culture can be utilized for mass propagation of superior quality soybean in a limited space and free of seasonal constraints. This paper reviews the scientific aspects of the studies conducted on tissueculture based propagation of soybean, and the need for ground-level application of these studies for the benefit of both growers and consumers.