PLANT TISSUE CULTURE

Also known as micropropagation, plant tissue culture is a propagation technique in which a plant propagule (either sex-derived or vegetative type) is sown in vitro in a medium consisted of nutrients and hormones under a sterile environment. It helps in reproducing rare plants that do not produce a lot of viable seeds, as well as produce large amounts of plants in a short period of time.

Serianthes nelsonii seed in tissue culture medium

Taeniophyllum orchid- seed germination


SEED STORAGE

SEEd collected from the field are often sent directly to the rare plant nursery for propagation, but some are brought to the laboratory for seed storage.

GOALS:

1. to maintain a seed reserve for guam rare native plant species.

2. to determine storability of native seeds.

Tabernaemontana rotensis seed viability test

Fragraea berteriana var. ladronica seed viability test