Integrating Plant Tissue Culture and DNA Barcoding: Cutting‐Edge Technologies for Plant Conservation in Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT Sri Lanka, situated at the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, is globally recognized for its remarkable biodiversity. Although it covers a small land area, the country supports a wide range of ecosystems and endemic species, particularly within its wet‐zone rainforests, which form part of the Western Ghats–Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot, one of the 36 globally recognized biodiversity hotspots. Despite its ecological richness, traditional conservation methods, such as in situ and ex situ approaches, face increasing challenges from climate change, habitat fragmentation, and the recalcitrant seed behavior of many tropical species. To address these limitations, modern biotechnological tools offer promising alternatives. Plant tissue culture techniques, including micropropagation, cryopreservation, and synthetic seed technology, support large‐scale propagation and long‐term germplasm conservation of rare and endangered species. Meanwhile, DNA barcoding ensures accurate species identification and genetic fidelity, safeguarding endemic and medicinal plants from misidentification and overharvesting. The integration of tissue culture with DNA barcoding, particularly through advances like DNA mini‐barcoding and meta‐barcoding supported by Next‐Generation Sequencing (NGS), provides a powerful, holistic approach to conservation. However, in regions like Sri Lanka, the limited availability of curated DNA barcode reference libraries continues to hinder effective implementation. This paper explores how combining these technologies can enhance biodiversity conservation efforts and proposes strategic directions for their broader application in both national and global contexts.