The development of a tissue culture technique for the mass production of selected bamboo species is underway.
This was disclosed by Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña during his weekly report on Friday, June 25.
“The DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) is supporting a project being implemented by the Visayas State University (VSU) which aims to develop an effective tissue culture protocols for sterilization, plantlet regeneration, multiplication, and in vitro rooting using growth regulators for economically important bamboo species,” he said.
He said potted out plantlets of the selected bamboo species were established and tissue culture plantlets in the nursery were developed for easy planting in the field.
“Six bamboo species were also established in the nursery from cuttings and seeds as source of planting material,” de la Peña said.
The bamboo species were the following: Dendrocalamus giganteus, Bambusa tulda, Dendrocalamus asper, Dendrocalamus membranaceus var Grandis, Dendrocalamus latiflorus var Machiku, and Guadua angostifolia var Oliver’s.
"Based on their experiments, the use of commercial bleach solution and ethyl alcohol as sterilant was more effective compared to the use of mercuric chloride in establishing clean cultures. Browning and contamination rate of cultures was lessened with this technique,” the DOST chief said.
“Among the source of explants, nodal segments from field grown mother plant and seeds grown in vitro were identified as a best source of explants for micropropagation of test bamboo species,” he said.
He said the VSU team was also able to inoculate and establish stock plants of the selected bamboo species.