Keeping in mind the potential for tissue plants in the region, the North Eastern Council (NEC) is setting up tissue culture laboratories for commercial production.
The NEC had taken up the scheme for the establishment of three tissue-culture laboratories, in the NE region to meet the requirement of the sister states, official sources said on Thursday. Of the centres, one would be set up in Mizoram, the sources said.
The state governments of the region have also selected staff for training in tissue culture at the Indian Institute of Horticulture Research, Bangalore and other places in the country for the purpose, the sources said.
The objective of these laboratories would be rapid multiplication of high-yielding varieties, supply of pathogen-free seedlings to the growers of the region, rejuvenation of orange, banana and papaya cultivation and growing these two horticulture crops on commercial basis.
The region's tropical and sub-tropical fruits from jackfruit and pineapple to orange, pears, peaches and plums would gain from tissue culture facilities.
As per productivity data with the National Horticulture Board, while the North-east produced good quality fruit, their productivity per hectare was far below that of other states of the country.
Meghalaya and Mizoram, along with other states of the region have more than 100 species of orchids including a number of high-value species that can be grown for commercial flower production as well as commercial supply of planting material by micro-propagation through tissue culture techniques.
{{/usCountry}}Meghalaya and Mizoram, along with other states of the region have more than 100 species of orchids including a number of high-value species that can be grown for commercial flower production as well as commercial supply of planting material by micro-propagation through tissue culture techniques.
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