Microponic Plant Tissue Culture: A Cost-Effective Approach

"Laboratory plant micropropagation is a principal method of mass production for many of the ornamental foliage and flowering plants sold in the U.S. The continued success of commercial production labs is in jeopardy because of the disproportionately high labor and operating costs compared to trailing sales incomes. Agri-Starts, Inc. is capitalizing on innovative procedures through environmental manipulation, new hardware designs, a high performance plastic polymer, and by the use of selective biology for the framework of our proposed cost-effective plant micropropagation technology. Microponics, an emerging science of plant production, is a combination of conventional micropropagation and hydroponic techniques; it is an extremely cost-effective method of producing many of the same products that are currently being produced by more labor-intensive methods in expensive, controlled atmosphere environments. This proposal describes advantages that may be achieved by commercial plant micropropagation labs when microponic technology is applied. In collaboration with the University of Florida, Gainesville and Everett Bros. Engineering, our Phase I goal will be proof of concept. Continued investigations will focus on identifying plant genera that are biologically suited for microponic clonal production, the development of product handling efficiencies, and a comparative study of conventional controls vs microponic results to confirm the usefulness of this new technique."