Liquid Culture Systems for in vitro Plant Propagation

Potentials for cost reduction 413
Gross and Levin (1999) have claimed that by introducing their version of
bioreactor technology, for a facility with production of 20 million units per
year distributed equally throughout the year (12 cycles per year), capital cost
of the conventional model, which stands at US $ 2,512,950 would come
down to US $ 664,683, a reduction by about 74%, and reduction in cost of
production of US $ 0.16 per unit to 0.07 unit, a drop in production cost by
56%. Their version of bioreactor is applied even for multiplication cultures
undergoing enhanced axillary proliferation, involves use of mechanical
cutters, reduction in the area under strict environment control and incubation
of bioreactors in areas having less rigorous and less expensive environmental
controls. There are points of complementation between this and the new
model. The propagules multiplied in bio-fermenters need transfer to static
cultures for last round of culturing. This can be done in the new model,
which will help in further reduction in capital costs and production costs
than is achieved so far in the model of Gross and Levin (1999). Above
projections of Gross and Levin (1999), however, presuppose contamination
rates not exceeding 5%, which is a problem yet to resolve.
The importance of the results lies in the fact that results of commercial
micropropagation obtained under uncontrolled ambient conditions are better
in quality and at substantially reduced cost than results obtained in
sophisticated and highly costly environment controlled production facility.
This shows that expensive and highly sophisticated environment controlled
facility is not indispensable for commercial micropropagation. Expensive
controls on environment have led to several micropropagation units across
the globe becoming unviable. This has also led to limiting application of the
technology only to plant species capable of commanding high unit value in
the market i.e. ornamental plants and denying feasibility of application of
this technology to agricultural and plantation crops as high unit value of
micropropagated plants in these cases makes the application unaffordable.
Interestingly, the main reason for which public funds are sought to be spent
on this technology is for applications for increasing productivity of
agricultural plantation crops, which will become feasible with a the approach
described in this paper.
Although the work is carried out in Indian conditions, the ambient
conditions described are applicable to many regions in the world with minor
adjustments. They are, incidentally, the type of regions where need of
application to agricultural plantation crops is greatest. The results are from a
sub-tropical location, and hence, represent an average of conditions available
on both the climatic sides i.e. temperate and tropical. Moved to tropical side,
the application may become more cost effective, as favourable natural
climatic conditions are available throughout the year. Moved to temperate
side, more investment may be necessary to make climate of greenhouse