The in vitro propagation of plants by cloning. Typically, this involves culturing excised meristematic tissue on a special medium that encourages axillary bud development. The new shoots are then separated and cultured, and the cycle is repeated until finally the shoots are transferred to a medium that promotes root development, to produce plantlets. Micropropagation is used in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry as special genotypes can be bred and maintained, the process is rapid, and plants can be kept disease-free. It also offers a means of propagating plants that are otherwise difficult to propagate such as orchids, and is useful for conserving rare plants. See also clone.