What are the Benefits from Somaclonal Variation?

Besides, light, temperature, agitation rate, osmolarity, plant growth regulators, etc. affect cell cycle of cultured cells in vitro. There are many causes of somaclonal variation.

Benefits from Somaclonal Variation :

Origin of somaclonal variation offers several benefits for crop improvement. It is supposed to be an alternative to conventional breeding to get high yielding variants or mutants.

Some changes occur at a high frequency e.g. chromosomal rearrangement (translocation). Novel variant can also arise which are not possible through conventional methods.

Through somaclonal variation, improved plants have also been produced in many crop varieties. The varieties released in market through somaclonal variation are: ultra-crisp celery, sweeter carrot, and disease resistant potato, tomato with altered pigment, etc.