There is a reason why I am dressed like an ET when I go for an assignment to the Biotechnology and Model Floriculture Centre (BFMC) at Kazhakuttam. At stake is the work of dedicated technicians who will certainly go bananas if I were to contaminate their work.
But to start from the beginning, the reason for my visit is evident as soon as I enter the campus of the BMFC.
A ‘Letter of Appreciation’ from the Director, Department of Agriculture, pasted at the entrance, explains why the mood is so upbeat on the campus that has a culture of scientific agriculture. It states that in the current financial year the centre ‘could bring out 10.20 lakh banana plantlets’, a remarkable increase in production compared to previous year’s 4.20 lakh.
BMFC, a premier commercial plant tissue culture centre in the government sector in the country, opened in 2000, is enjoying the fruits of labour after reaping revenue worth Rs. 150 lakh. An inspiration indeed for government-run establishments that are facing stiff competition from private players.
“There is a sense of achievement as we were able match the current maximum production capacity of the centre. We produced 22 varieties of banana last year. The plantlets are purchased by Krishi Bhavans across the state, farms and individuals,” says P. Babu, assistant director of Agriculture, who was in the team that prepared the blueprint for the centre and was involved in every stage of its growth. In addition to plantain, the centre has also been producing plantlets of orchids and anthuriums. The success means a lot for the centre given that it was almost on the verge of closure a couple of years ago.
As I tour the two-acre plot that houses the offices, biotechnology lab, green houses, a well-kept garden and vegetation, I see thousands of tender green plantlets stacked up, ready for sale. In another section, employees are cleaning the plantlets ready to be transported to a farm in Neriyamangalam in Ernakulam district.
There is a laborious process involved in the production of each of these plantlets. I see it all in the biotechnology lab where the process is done in an aseptic zone and set climatic conditions. “Even a minute’s lapse on our part can lead to fungal growth inside the containers, in which the tissues are cultured,” says Nisha Bai K., one of the five agricultural officers at the centre as she takes me through the various divisions of the lab.
Right from preparing the medium in which the tissues are cultured, the staff members go that extra mile to prevent any kind of contamination. That is why I am allowed inside the lab only after disinfecting my hands and legs, and wearing an overcoat, head cover and mask. “When the tissues are placed inside the container, the staff members are not allowed to even talk because that is one among the many sources by which a virus or bacteria can enter the medium,” Nisha says.
At least 10 stages are involved, each of them taking three to four weeks, before the tissue is ready. “Contamination can happen at any stage and we manually check each container,” says Prajin, a technician at the lab. Once the tissues are ready, they are taken out and kept in the green houses for “hardening” or getting exposed to real climatic conditions.
Advantages The technology has manifold benefits.
“A major concern for banana farmers is diseases. When we select the sucker (lateral shoot of banana) of the mother plant (the plant from which the tissue is taken for the process) for tissue culturing, we chose only the best out of the best, thereby preventing the possibility of any diseases. Another advantage is that we can assure the best of yield and that too throughout the year,” Babu explains.
Tissue culture technology has helped in the large scale production of commercial varieties such as nenthran, red banana, robust, grand naine and njalippoovan, besides traditional varieties and new ones.
“We approached a government-run farm to clone the Philippines variety Papoulu. But the centre refused to part with the sucker. We took it as a challenge, procured the sucker from another place and produced the plantlets here and planted one on our campus,” Babu says.
BMFC also takes pride in the fact that it has helped to maintain the cost of the plantlets. “We sell one plantlet for Rs. 15, and some of those who buy from us sell them at a higher rate. But for us this is a service to the farmers and profit comes second,” says Babu.
OPTIONS APLENTY
Traditional varieties such as Amrith Sagar, Kadali, Palayamkodan, Zansibar, Monthan and Chinali, and new varieties including Big ebanga, Udayam, Papoulu and Fhia are grown at BMFC.
