ISHS Acta Horticulturae 530: International Symposium on Methods and Markers for Quality Assurance in Micropropagation
CERTIFIED PLANTS FROM TISSUE CULTURE |
| Author: | P.C.G. van der Linde |
| Keywords: | bedding plant, elite, identity, micropropagation, pathogen, quality, virus |
| Abstract:
Tissue culture is an outstanding method for the production of young plants. Nevertheless, the method can produce propagules of inferior quality. Quality has many aspects but two related aspects are of major importance: quality of the product and quality of the production process. The latter can be guaranteed by certification according to internationally recognized standards for production, such as ISO or HACCP. Quality of the product is much more complicated and involves aspects of identity, physiology, morphology, pathology, and asepsis. Asepsis should be no problem with good laboratory practice, although complete asepsis will be hard to achieve. The morphology of the product depends on the crop and the demands of the purchaser. Its physiology must guarantee direct regrowth after tissue culture, that also depends on the culture system the purchasers are using. The health and identity can be guaranteed by the certification of the plants according to the NAKTUINBOUW-Elite® regulations. These include testing for all known pathogens of the crop and for homogeneous and true-to-type flowering. As with certification of the production process, certification of plants using this system has to be renewed every year. The system was adapted for tissue culture after the devastating outbreak of tobacco mosaic virus in Petunia. It proved to be so successful that it was extended to all vegetatively propagated bedding plants. This increased the demand for certified plants from tissue culture tremendously. | |
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