Tissue Culture Lab – DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

TISSUE CULTURE LABORATORY

The laboratory was established on pilot basis during 2001-02 by the department of Agriculture with an objective for micro-propagation of sugarcane. However, it could not take off due to various reasons. The most important set back are:

Poor infrastructural set up
Lack of trained man power
Others.

However during 2011-12, the department decided to revive the laboratory with minimum Modification of infrastructural and manpower set up such as:

Growth chamber
Water supply
Electricity fittings
Poly/net house
Equipments and glassware
Training of manpower

Thus during 2012-13, the laboratory was successful in standardizing the tissue culture protocols by successfully culturing the tissue culture planting material of Banana (var:G-9) and Orchids (Var: Hybrid Vanda). During 2014-15, the laboratory was also successful in standardizing the tissue protocols for sugarcane (Var: co-997 and co-9103)

Production Details: (2012-16)

SL.NO	Crop	Variety	Qty. produced	Qty distributed	Status/To Whom Issued
1.	Banana	Grand Naine	40,000	39,000 saplings	KVK,Farmers, SARS, Dept. Farm 4^th Mile
2.	Orchids	Hybrid Vanda	3500	Nil	Under hardening
3.	Sugarcane	Co-997 Co-9103	6500	5600	Farmers, Departmental farm 4^th Mile

Beside the above mentioned Tissue culture materials, the lab also produced 20,000 nos of Mandarin saplings through Embryo culture from the seeds procured from the state Horticulture department and distributed to the farmers.

At present though the production capacity of the laboratory is 10,000 plantlets, however, with modest civil works and material support, it can be upgraded to produced (1 lakh) planting materials annually.