Current conventional methods such as grafting, cuttings and air layering for the propagation of plant stocks are inefficient yielding low rates of success and survival due to poor rooting. Plant stocks propagated via conventional methods are slow growing and can often go into dormancy resulting in low fruiting capacity. Farmers grow a variety of cultivars in the farm with different cultivation practices that are not standardized, indirectly causing a variety of fig types being harvested. This is not favorable to the commercial market as standardization of fruit type, size, taste and quality is important.
1) Low rates of success and survival
2) Slow growing and dormancy
3) Fruit inconsistency and standardization issues
The low plant multiplication rate of novel fig cultivars also hampers the standardization of fruit quality for commercialization and food production purposes.
1) This invention is a highly effective alternative in the mass production of disease-free plant stocks via plant tissue culture technology
2) The project involves the establishment of optimal methods and media in culture to mass propagate fig plantlets of selected novel cultivars that are known to produce high quality fruits in the tropical climate
3) Technology is also supported with DNA polymorphism analysis for mutation screening and for quality assurance
4) The efficiency rate of the technology allows standardization in cultivar type and farming methods, enabling consistency in fruit harvest and fruit quality suitable for the local market consumption