Orchid & Nepenthes Tissue Culture

Tissue culture (TC) is the primary propagation method for orchids, outside of divisions. It is also highly useful for propagation of Nepenthes and other plants in the horticulture world. Essentially, either seeds or explants (growth point etc.) are taken, sterilized and then grown on a sterile nutrient medium in jars (aka flasks). When done correctly, this is much faster than traditional propagation and can produce high grade plantlets for deflasking. 

Since orchid seeds lack endosperms (the nutrient supply for the embryo in the seed), in the wild they are dependent on symbiotic fungi to feed the embryo to sprout and grow. This is not easily replicated in cultivation, thus tissue culture has traditionally been used to germinate the seeds as it supplies nutrients and simple sugars easily to the embryos. As a matter of necessity, the media is sterile to prevent bacterial/fungal competition in the sugar rich environment which can easily change media pH or produce phytotoxins etc. The plants are also confirmed disease free due to the sterility and allows easier maintenance of virus-free lines. 

Due to the reduced reliance on photosynthesis in tissue culture, growth can be extremely rapid and thus allow rapid cloning. This makes it highly useful for general horticulture and mass propagation of commercial plant varieties. 

For our tissue culture we use vented flasks, the breathability produces higher quality plantlets that establish much faster when deflasked than closed sealed flasks. For the nutrient media, which is gelled with agar, a variety of different types are used depending on plant genera. Typically MS media or a derivative version is used in standard TC, which is an old media developed for production of tobacco and subsequently tested on other genera. However we use 100% custom formulations which produce much faster quality growth for orchids & Nepenthes. 

Attached below is some of the production from seed to finished flasks. 

Cymbidium germinating.

 

Week 4 germination.

 

Propagating in flow hood.

 

Separated for propagation. 

 

Nepenthes robcantleyi cloning.

 

Paphiopedilum roots growing through media. 

 

Doritis finished plants.

 

Paph rothschildianum finished flask.

 

Paph rothschildianum 9 months after deflasking. 

 

Phalaenopsis clones 10 weeks after deflasking.