In recent years, plant tissue culture has become a crucial component of the modern bioeconomy. From a commercial perspective, plant micropropagation remains one of its most valuable applications. Plants exhibit remarkable developmental plasticity; however, many species still remain recalcitrant in tissue culture. While the term recalcitrant is commonly used to describe plants with poor in vitro regeneration capacity, from a biological point of view it suggests that the minimal culture requirements for this species were unmet. Despite evidence that the Skoog–Miller exogenous hormonal balance theory and Murashige–Skoog medium were species-limited in applicability, generations of plant biotechnologists applied these tools indiscriminately. This led to systemic propagation of ineffective protocols, publication of misleading standards, and a culture of scientific inertia—costing both time and resources. The field must now move beyond historical dogma toward data-driven, species-specific innovation based on multiple endogenous auxin biosynthesis pathways, epigenetic reprogramming of competent cells, and further modern biotechnologies that are evolving. In this short viewpoint, we describe possible solutions in plant biotechnology to significantly improve the effectiveness of it.
Pasternak et al. (Thu,) studied this question.