Leave the tissue in the field

'The most disappointing is that when the hives were made from morning to 12 noon, they could transfer the samples to the test tube, but the next day they came back to see that the samples were all dead or infected. The best is when you see the plant grow in the culture medium. Transferring a thousand samples into a test tube and having a living sample has rekindled the hope '- Master Dang Phuong Tram said so about her tissue culture and her colleagues' work. With the initial effects, the topic 'Application of biotechnology in propagation and application of high technology to produce a number of imported flower varieties in Can Tho City' was chaired by master Dang Phuong Tram. new development directions for ornamental flower growing in Can Tho City in particular and Mekong Delta in general.

Talking about the flower growing industry in the Mekong Delta, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Bao Ve, Dean of the Department of Agriculture and Applied Biology (Can Tho University), Can Tho University (CTU), said: 'When visiting and working with CTU, foreign delegations asked about how to research, transfer technology and techniques for growing ornamental flowers for farmers. Actually, so far, the Mekong Delta has done very well to ensure food security. Now, after the lack of food, think about eating well and wearing nice clothes. Research and application of high technology in ornamental plants is to meet this requirement. '

Tissue culture techniques have been widely applied in some countries in the region, bringing high economic efficiency for ornamental plants. For example, Thailand has applied tissue culture techniques to bring Thai orchids to the world market, bringing significant revenues. Meanwhile, in the Mekong Delta, the use of tissue culture seedlings is still quite strange to farmers. Most farmers plant flowers in the way of sowing or cutting buds. Even for marigold - a familiar, widely used flower in the Mekong Delta - seeds for planting must still be imported from abroad. Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Bao Ve said: 'If not actively researching, seed production will happen dependence on seed'.

Master Dang Phuong Tram (right) is transferring research results to technical staff of Technology and Technology Application Center. (Photo: baocantho)

In June 2003, Can Tho City Department of Science and Technology decided to carry out the research 'Application of biotechnology in propagation and application of high technology to produce some imported flower varieties in Can Tho City. '. The project is headed by Master Dang Phuong Tram, Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Agriculture & Rural Development, CTU. For nearly 3 years, the team cultured tissue producing a number of flower plants with the potential to grow and plant chrysanthemum from model transplanted plants for cutting branches in production fields.

' Tissue culture is an important technique in ornamental flower growing. Tissue culture helps produce seedlings faster and more proactively in seed sources, strong plants and high quality '- Master Dang Phuong Tram said. Flower varieties selected for study include: marigold, chrysanthemum, gloxinia, Thai life, oatmeal. According to Master Dang Phuong Tram, these are 'popular' flower varieties, favored by the people in the Mekong Delta, so the research results are easy to transfer applications.

Only a part of the leaves or stems of plants through tissue culture will produce hundreds of seedlings . A simple thought process but must undergo many complicated stages such as disinfection of samples - put into the culture medium to create bud clusters - from clusters of clusters, multiply, separate roots to grow into plants. In the process of tissue culture, the most difficult stage, the most time consuming, the most effort is to transfer the sample to the test tube. This is also the decision to succeed or not. Samples to be put into test tubes must ensure that all fungi and bacteria symbiosis must be removed, completely clean to develop. Master Dang Phuong Tram said: ' Variable errors are extremely large. Sometimes putting the sample into a test tube is a success, but sometimes bringing thousands of new samples to a sample . '

Through a series of experiments, with the general process of single implant method (stem transplants), the research team had gene sources on flower varieties: marigold, chrysanthemum, gloxinia, Thai life, petal with a total of 22 different lines. Do not stop, after tissue culture of chrysanthemum tree has restored growth, the research team continues to switch to growing on model to cut branches. Master Dang Phuong Tram analyzed: ' The practice of producing ornamental flowers of Western farmers is to grow in baskets. While the soil and climate conditions of some western provinces are able to grow some types of cut flowers, why not plant them but have to import them from Da Lat . ' 7 varieties of chrysanthemum: Great white, Lemon yellow, Yellow summer, Mong dragon, Tho red, Crystal, White, from tissue culture room were planted in the field by cutting method.

Cooperative in Binh Minh Hoa Canh, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City is the place to plant cut stems of the subject. Mr. Duong Minh Ut, Chairman of the Cooperative, said: ' From February 2004, CTU assigned 3,000 seedlings to the trial cooperative. After 3 months of planting, flowers bloom very well, reach quality (flower size, flower color, durability of flowers) is equivalent to Dalat flower '. According to Master Tram's analysis, 1 field of rice, invested 15 million VND, can grow 40,000-44,000 cut branches. With the selling price of 500 VND / branch, the first crop, farmers can break even or make a small loss, but after the beginning of the season, the profit is about 10-15 million VND / public. Mr. Ut commented: 'Up to now, traditional flowers are often passive in terms of seasons, seasons, no new varieties . Using seedlings from tissue culture and cutting branches to overcome the limitations. above. Because tissue culture plants are free of diseases, they have less medicine and care, and flower quality is higher . ' Results of experimental planting showed that daisy flower varieties: Great white, Lemon yellow, Yellow summer, Mong dragon, Tho red, Crystal, Trang grew and gave good flowers, reaching the value of goods in the winter-spring crop; Daia white, Lemon yellow and spring-summer crops are capable of normal flowering.

The success of the project ' Application of biotechnology in breeding and application of high technology to produce some imported flower varieties in Can Tho City ' is being transferred to the Center for Technology and Technology Application , belonging to Department of Science - Technology TP. Master Dang Phuong Tram said: ' We transfer genetic resources and tissue culture experience to the technical staff of the center. Currently, the genetic resources have doubled compared to the time I did the research . ' Following the research step of Master Tram, the topic ' Building a model of growing flowers from kernel by tissue culture technique (daisy, marigold) in An Binh, Long Tuyen, Can Tho City ' by master Hoang Huu Toan , Deputy Director of Can Tho Technology and Technology Application Center, acting as the director, is being implemented.

Currently, the main concern is the cost of tissue culture. Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, Head of My Tho Flower Cooperative Group, Tien Giang, commented: ' Tissue culture is clean but expensive.' Because tissue culture is high technology, investment is very expensive, in addition to the market demand is not high, so the production of tissue culture is still fragmented, so the cost of tissue culture is quite high (marigold, daisy: 1,000 - 2,000 VND / tree), farmers have few opportunities to access. Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Bao Ve emphasized: ' In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to cooperate, form a propagation network, from the hospital to the tissue culture room of the provinces, cities and farmers '. .

With the efforts of scientists, technical staff, cooperation of cooperatives, farmers, high-tech techniques are gradually applied to flower growing industry to help the Mekong Delta farmers get rich by As Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Bao Ve: ' If you know how to apply advanced techniques to production, the flower industry will bring very high profits '. The remaining problem is solving the output of products when flowers are mass produced. The close connection between 4 houses: farmers - scientists - businesses - will the state solve this problem satisfactorily?

Post, photo: HUIEN PROFILE