Pune: The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, in collaboration with BRIC-National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi, hosted a half-day awareness programme on National Certification System for Tissue Culture Raised Plants (NCS-TCP) on Monday. The event - From Fragile Seedlings to a Thriving Ecosystem - was attended by representatives from various tissue culture industries across Maharashtra, with several setting up stalls to showcase their products and innovations.
The National Certification System for Tissue Culture Raised Plants serves as a framework to regulate and certify tissue culture-raised plants in India. The system accredits laboratories for virus testing and genetic fidelity assessment, and recognises production facilities based on quality standards.
Debasis Chattopadhyay, director, BRIC-NIPGR, said, “The system has certified around 65 crore plants in the last four years alone, while nearly 35 lakh substandard or diseased plants have been filtered out ensuring only high-quality, healthy plants reach farmers.”