REACHING THE UNREACHED THROUGH COMMERCIALIZABLE BIOTECHNOLOGIES
Senior
Scientist, Division of Biotechnology
Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR)
Hessaraghatta, Bangalore -
560 089
Key words: Mmicropropagation, banana, orchids, anthuriums, cottage industry,
women's empowerment, national development
Introduction
Micropropagation is a means of rapidly multiplying
plants in a relatively small space under environmentally controlled and aseptic
conditions independent of the season of the year. Millions of plants can be produced at any given time using
this technology that has no parallel in any of the traditional propagation
methodologies. Tissue culture has
been applied successfully all over the globe but the emphasis has been on
establishing high-volume,
sophisticated commercial
laboratories that turn out microplants on a
megascale. This paper aims
to conceptualise low-cost, large-scale micropropagation systems for producing
high-quality plants for widespread agricultural
use with women as the chief players.
About
the Technology
In plants
that are propagated asexually and in crops that need to be planted year after
year, for eg. banana, this technology is a boon as it affords quick production
of identical clones of the
source/mother plant in huge numbers. There is a perpetual and heavy demand for
banana propagule material in the country. Traditionally, banana is multiplied
using daughter suckers that arise at the base of the pseudostem. The farmer
usually depends on neighborhood farms
for supply of suckers for raising a crop. This imposes certain restrictions, for
instance, the desired variety may not be available at the time needed nor in the
quantities required. Besides, the farmer runs the risk of ending up with
infected suckers that may result in yield losses of upto 100%.
Such constraints can be
overcome by resorting to the tissue culture method of
propagation or ‘Micropropagation’.
Micropropagation is attractive in a number of
situations, for eg:
Large number of uniform propagules can be generated in a relatively short period of time with
predictable dates of harvest
The technology is season-independent whereby planting material can
be produced round the year
Variability encountered in size and propagule density (especially
in clones suckering erratically) can be minimized since plants are grown
under controlled conditions in vitro
Allows for rapid bulking of novel clones when used in concert with
breeding programmes
Facilitates trans-continental exchange of disease-diagnosed
planting material obviating quarantine hassles; far less air cargo space is
consumed for transportation
In
vitro
germplasm conservation
The national requirement for planting material
of vegetatively multiplied seasonal crop species (sugarcane, potato, banana,
ginger, turmeric, sweet potato, tapioca, garlic etc.) is estimated to be
annually Rs. 3000 crores. Although
tissue culture is the ideal means of clonal multiplication, it has failed to
achieve commercial success in this category of plants because of high cost of
the ex-vitro plantlets (Rs. 6 to 10
per plantlet). ARTI (Appropriate
Rural Technology Institute, Pune) uses tissue culture only to produce
disease-free propagates in a nursery. Such
planting material can be offered at prices acceptable to farmers.
This concept was successfully introduced into Maharashtra in the case of
sugarcane. Other candidate species
for this technology are ginger, turmeric, banana, tapioca, elephant’s foot,
sweet potato, strawberry, etc., with banana ranking as the number one fruit crop
produced by tissue culture. Thus,
buying mother plants from a tissue culture laboratory and selling their
nursery-grown progeny to farmers offers rural entrepreneurs business opportunity
having a potential annual turnover of Rs. 3000 crores.
Planting material of banana is in perpetual demand
and can be met economically if women launched banana micropropagation as a
cottage industry. As against the
traditional rate of multiplication (4 - 5x) obtained using suckers as propagules,
it is possible to raise a hectare of banana plantation (ie., 5000 propagules)
from a single starter culture in a year's time.
Commercial
tissue culture laboratories in India are into production of banana microplants
in a big way but the cost of production is prohibitive. Besides, these laboratories are located mainly in the cities
and transportation to the end-users’ farm adds to the cost of this perishable
product. If a District-level or
Taluq-level machinery could be evolved involving women entrepreneurs with
low-cost inputs, the above constraints can be overcome and planting material can
be supplied at cheaper rates.
The
Government of India declared 2001
as the Year for Women’s Empowerment. Recent
trends have demonstrated the yeomen contribution of womenfolk in various walks
of life.
Numerous
surveys carried out in India from time to time
have all
hammered home the point that women’s
co-operatives are run far more
efficiently than those run by men. That most women do not harbor higher
political ambitions is cited as a major reason for the success in running their
co-operatives efficiently (Deccan Herald, Nov 12, 2000).
The vibrant
Indian dairy sector is a case in point today, where, the very substantial
contribution made by ordinary, rural womenfolk has played a major role in making
the White Revolution or Milk Revolution a spectacular success. Today, India boasts of being the largest milk producing
nation in the world at 74 m tonnes / annum, putting the milk famines of the
1960s behind. Her participation as a co-operative member has, in addition, given
the woman a modicum of economic independence and empowerment. As of now, 2
million women are active participants in the ongoing milk revolution
encompassing 7000 village-level milk cooperatives in India.
This self-same example needs to be translated
into the horticulture sector.
The present concept paper is precisely aimed at such a possibility. If
applied, this would result in income generation for the urban/peri-urban/semi-rural
and rural women through gainful employment which is the theme of the session.
An all-woman organization
in Kerala, ‘Nattika Vanitha Pushpa Krishi Samrakshana Samithi’,
Nattika, Thrissur – 680 566, is engaged in production of orchids and other
ornamental annuals through tissue culture.
This example can serve as a shining beacon for women entrepreneurs
intending to embark on a similar
enterprise.
Tissue Culture
Enterprise on a Home-scale
A typical, family-operated nursery producing
planting material in about 200 ha would have an annual turnover of about Rs. 20
lakh and an annual profit of about Rs. 5 lakh.
Rural India would require 15,000 such nurseries to satisfy the total
demand of planting material of this category of crop species, which can be met
by tissue culture.
Plant Tissue Culture (PTC) in an exciting area
of biotechnology that can be used to effectively and beneficially stimulate
interest in science among home makers and hobbyists. It is no longer the
‘elitist’ enterprise it was once considered to be. The need for extensive
equipment, such as the autoclave and laminar air-flow hood, precision balance
etc. has often limited the use of this technique. This equipment is no longer
essential through the use of the new biocide PPM (plant preservation
mixture) in the PTC media and preparation of media with cooker / microwave oven
PTC can be conducted at home with little problem of contamination. A description
of these methods and reports of successful completion is given in “Successful
plant tissue culture in the classroom or home” by C.M.
stiff, Kitchen culture kits, Inc., Moscow, Idaho and plant cell
technology, Inc., Washington D.C. E-Mail.KcK[at]turbonet[dot]com
Premixed powders for plant tissue culture are
marketed in India by Hi-Media Ltd., Mumbai, but these mixtures do not guarantee
freedom from contamination. There is a need to indigenize technologies to work
on a home-scale for individual enterprise. However, in the following section, an
alternate mode of setting up a successful outfit is given.
Microwave oven
: to sterilize media (to be sure if a particular type of plastic will hold up in
the microwave oven, be sure to do a test
run with a paper plate under the
item.
Pressure cooker
: to sterilize microwave-sensitive plastic labware/metal dissection instruments
PPM (Plant
Protection Mixture) : a biocide for minimizing contamintion
Simple
fabricated box
: to prevent dust falling into culture vessels
Premixed plant
media : to
avoid purchase of individual chemicals and for preparation of stock-solutions
(home-made media, may suffice in particular cases)
Clean area:
a simple plastic box can serve the purpose.
Bleach, detergent, vinegar, antacid, sugar, plates,
knives, pH strip, baking soda,etc. are available off a medical store
or the kitchen-shelf.
Used jam-jars with autoclaveable caps/food containers
can serve as culture vessels.These can be bought in bulk at a cheap rate
from the local scrap-dealer)
Tap water/mineral water for media preparation can be microwaved for 10 minutes or
processed in a pressure cooker for 20 - 30 minutes
Considering the vast potential of this
business to generate self-employment in rural areas, the ARTI has established a
training-cum-production facility comprising a low-cost tissue culture laboratory
and a nursery. The hardware cost of
the tissue culture laboratory, producing about 20,000 to 50,000 plantlets per
annum, would be only about Rs. 2 to 2.5 lakh.
The major cost-saving is achieved by using air coolers instead of air
conditioners, pressure cookers instead of autoclaves and ordinary jam jars
instead of “Pyrex” or
“Borosil” ware. Also the
running cost is drastically reduced by using rainwater instead of distilled
water, and commercial grade sugar instead of Analar Grade sugar.
The running cost of such a laboratory comes to hardly Rs. 25,000 per
annum. ARTI
plans to annually train 15 to 20 persons in the procedure of
micropropagation of sugarcane, banana, ginger and turmeric, hardening of the
plantlets and secondary multiplication under nursery/field conditions.
The facility would be operated as a commercial unit so that the trainees
get exposure to the commercial aspect of the technology (Dr.
A.D. Arve, 2000. New Rural Enterprise based on Plant Tissue Culture.
In: Taking Biotechnology to
Indian Farms, Procs. Natl. Conf. July
26-27, 2000, Ahmedabad, P-56).
Here, we shall consider banana
micropropagation as an example.
Socio-Scientific Paradigm of the Concept
In
a mission mode, the objective of this exercise is to sustainably increase the
productivity of banana and plantain grown on small
holdings for domestic consumption and for local markets.
The
concept can fulfil the following socio-scientific objectives :
¨
To
organize and co-ordinate a national
effort on production of bananas involving womanpower with an aim of quick
dissemination of popular/improved cultivars.
¨
To
promote and strengthen collaboration and partnerships in banana related industry
at the regional/national level.
¨
To
strengthen the ability of women to become sellf-reliant while participating in
national development by using state-of-the-art S & T
¨
To
co-ordinate, facilitate and support banana propagule production and distribution
economically and to exchange information at a cottage industry level
¨
Using the
above approach, the focal theme of this symposium is addressed, which aims to:
¨
Increase
women’s access to land, resource and other capital investment
¨
Ensure
adequate involvement in human resources and extension training programmes
¨
Increase
the ability of women to generate income
¨
Make
available the new tools of S & T
¨
Target
some of the new innovations and technology demonstrations to cater to women’s
needs
¨
Protect
women’s health and nutritional status
¨
Frame
appropriate policies with the involvement of women
Modus
operandi
There
are two levels at which the technology can be made operative :
1.
Retrofitting tissue culture operations to involve
urban/per-urban/semi-rural/rural women entrepreneurs
2.
Individual /partnership level involving urban/peri-urban women
entrepreneurs
Retrofitting tissue culture operations to involve
urban/per-urban/semi-rural/rural women entrepreneurs
Tissue
culture procedures involving media preparation, clean area operations
(inoculation and subculture), primary hardening and secondary hardening can be
carried out collectively by literate, semi-literate and illiterate women
functionaries at different tiers of the technology.
Phase I
District headquarters can serve as the hub of
the enterprise vested with the responsibility of exclusively carrying out in
vitro operations. Specialized
equipment required for such operations shall be housed at this laboratory and
procedures involving explant collection, treatment, inoculation, incubation,
subculture and prehardening would be the preserve of this tier of functionaries.
Phase II
Once the prehardened plants are ready for
transplantation, these shall be transported
to functionaries at the Taluq headquarters/town
where primary hardening operations will be carried out.
This function can be performed by illiterate women functionaries too. The infrastructure required at this level is not as expensive
as in the first phase of operations.
Phase III
Microplants that have gone through primary
hardening at the Taluq headquarters/town need to be further transported to the
village for secondary hardening. This
facilitates easy supply of healthy and fully hardened microplants to the
end-user viz., the farmer. Secondary
hardening entails use of huge quantities of good soil, sand and farm yard manure
(FYM), which are readily available in rural areas. Skilled/semi-skilled rural women functionaries can operate at
this level of the technology.
Individual/partnership-level
involving urban/peri-urban women entrepreneurs
The same scheme can be operated by an
individual or partners on a smaller scale under single roof.
Potential
Sources of Funding
Entrepreneurial
Opportunities for Women
Several national/state level organizations can
be roped in as participants in development through such projects.
Outfits like the National Horticultural Board (NHB) promote not only the development
but also transfer of such technologies. For
instance, the NHB provides 100% financial assistance upto 10 lakhs per project
for introduction of new technologies. (Proforma for seeking grant-in-aid from the NHB is available
with the author). Under the
horticulture promotional service, the NHB also encourages funding of projects
relating to
§
improvement
of nuritional status of
rural masses
§
increase
in per capita availability of fruits
§
help
maintain ecological balance
§
utilization
of land and land around homestead
The NHB has
recognized tissue culture propagation of banana as a modern, transferable
technology.
Among organizations eligible for funding by
the NHB are:
