Step 1: Understanding meristem culture.
Meristem culture involves culturing the meristematic tissues of plants. These tissues are undifferentiated and can be used to propagate virus-free plants since they do not carry the viral load found in older tissues.
Step 2: Analyzing the options.
(1) Tall plants: This is incorrect. Meristem culture is not typically used to create tall plants, but rather to propagate virus-free plants.
(2) Disease resistant plants: This is incorrect. While meristem culture helps in producing virus-free plants, it is not specifically used for disease resistance.
(3) Virus free plants: Correct — Meristem culture is specifically used to propagate virus-free plants, as the meristematic tissue is typically free of infections.
(4) Hybrid plants: This is incorrect. Meristem culture is not focused on producing hybrid plants, but rather healthy, virus-free plants.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (3) Virus free plants, as meristem culture is commonly used for this purpose.