Case Study: Tissue Culture

Tissue culture has influenced plant introductions

As tissue culture grows in popularity and commercial viability, its possibilities for supply expand as well, and producers increasingly consider it as a new supply option. But how do you ensure you're getting the most from your tissue culture supplier, and how do you find the lab that's right for you and your business?

"Finding a tissue culture lab is much like finding any supplier," said Gary Hennen, president of Oglesby Plants International in Altha, Fla., a tissue culture lab and young plant producer. "You want to look at the company itself; is it reliable, honest; does it have good integrity?"

The tissue culture world is as much about the business as it is about the science, he said. That's why experience is a gold standard in tissue culture. Many labs open quickly, offer rock-bottom prices, then are gone a year later.

When reviewing a tissue culture lab, look at its experience base: how long it has been in business, how many different kinds of plants it produces, the quality of its young plants, whether it delivers what you order or frequently substitutes.

"There are a few large tissue culture labs that have found out how to turn science into business, and the impact on horticulture has been huge," Hennen said. "Plant tissue culture is really beneficial in introductions of new varieties. It is a wonderful tool to start generating numbers and get you up and running much faster."

While ornamentals and tropicals have benefited from tissue culture due to their inherent base value, the technology has also become increasingly popular for perennials and forestry projects.

Even with all of this growth, "the technology we use today for the most part is very similar to what we used 20 or 30 years ago," he said. Advancements have come more in incremental improvements, such as with liquid bioreactors, slurry type systems and automation, particularly for ferns.

Tissue culture producers' philosophy, much like other suppliers, follows one simple tenet, Hennen said: "Buy plants from us; we'll make more."
 

Joli A. Hohenstein is marketing and PR specialist for Pen & Petal Inc.; joli@penandpetal.com.