Somaclonal variation is a term used to describe the genetic variation that results from tissue culture or cell culture. It is a technique that is used in plant breeding to produce new, improved varieties of plants. In somaclonal variation, cells that are grown in culture can undergo genetic changes, resulting in different traits or characteristics in the resulting plants. Some synonyms for somaclonal variation include tissue culture variability, cell culture variability, and clonal variation. These terms all refer to the same process of genetic variation that occurs in plants that have been grown from cells or tissues in the laboratory.