What is one of the primary reasons for adding plant hormones to growth media in tissue culture?

Adding plant hormones to growth media in tissue culture primarily serves to encourage the growth of new roots. Plant hormones, also known as phytohormones, play a crucial role in regulating various physiological processes in plants, including cell division, elongation, and differentiation. In tissue culture, these hormones can be precisely manipulated to stimulate adventitious root formation, which is critical for the successful establishment of plantlets.

For example, auxins are commonly used in tissue culture to promote root development by enhancing the formation of root primordia from stem cuttings or other plant tissues. This is essential for ensuring that a plantlet can take up water and nutrients effectively once transferred to soil or another growing medium. The ability to control root development in vitro is fundamental for plant propagation and regeneration.

The other choices pertain to aspects that do not directly relate to the specific purpose of adding hormones to the growth medium in tissue culture. Improving soil quality is more relevant to agricultural practices than to the sterile conditions of tissue culture. Enhancing color and flavor involves other factors such as nutrient composition and environmental conditions, rather than hormone manipulation in tissue culture. Increasing water absorption is largely governed by root structure and function, which is why promoting root growth through hormone application in the growth medium is