MAXIMIZING SHOOT FORMING EFFICIENCY OF POPULUS USING IN VITRO MICRO-CROSS SECTIONS

MICRO-CROSS SECTION (MCS) IS A NEW METHOD FOR MICROPROPAGATION (TISSUE CULTURE) OF SELECTED PLANTS WHICH SHOULD SIMULTANEOUSLY PROVIDE A DRAMATIC PER UNIT COST REDUCTION AND A LARGE INCREASE IN PLANT AVAILABILITY. BECAUSE OF A PROJECTED SEVERE SHORTFALL OF NATURALLY OCCURRING ASPEN FOR WOOD PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES WE HAVE SELECTED 2 ASPEN AND 4 HYBRID ASPEN GENOTYPES TO USE IN THE EVALUATION OF THIS TECHNIQUE. THE PRODUCT WILL BE A SMALL PLANTLET, WHICH MORE CONSISTENTLY REPLICATES THE DESIREABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PARENT PLANT (DISEASE RESISTANCE, EARLY MATURITY, ETC.) THAN PLANTLETS OBTAINED BY SEED PROPAGATION. THE MCS TECHNIQUE IS NOW A PROVEN LABORATORY TECHNIQUE. ITSDEVELOPMENT RELATIVE TO THESE ASPEN GENERA HAS REACHED THE POINT WHERE A LARGE SCALE FEASIBILITY STUDY IS REQUIRED. ALLTHE COMPUTED PROJECTIONS INDICATE SUCCESS, BUT TO SALABLE AND COMMERCIALLY VIABLE A BONA-FIDE OPERATIONAL STUDY SHOULDBE CARRIED OUT BY AN OUTSIDE COMMERCIAL PROPAGATOR WITH ADEQUATE RESEARCH FACILITIES AND CREDENTIALS. MINN VITRO, INC. MEETS THESE QUALIFICATIONS. MCS SHOULD PROVIDE THE FORESTRY INDUSTRY A LARGE NUMBER OF INEXPENSIVE, ASPEN AND HYBRID ASPEN PLANTLETS. THIS TECHNIQUE IS LIKELY TO BE SUCCESSFULLY APPLIED TO OTHER PLANT GENERA AS WELL. MCS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE MICROPROPAGATION INDUSTRY. DURING THE NEXT YEAR, THE RECEIPT OF GRANT FUNDS WILL ENABLEUS TO SYSTEMATICALLY EVALUATE MCS AS A COMMERCIAL TECHNIQUE.BASED ON A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME AND PROJECTED COSTS AND PROJECTED DEMANDS, IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT NEARLY $1,000,000 ANNUALLY IN SALES WOULD BE REALIZED FROM ASPEN PRODUCTION, FOR MINNESOTA ALONE.