Scaling of installed capacity and implementation of diagnostic capacities of the Biotechnology and Fabor Cultivation Laboratory of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences

The Group of Genetic Resources and Biotechnology works on the development of propagation protocols, germplasm conservation and mass multiplication of plants, which began with the Environmental Compensation Fund (Celec E.P. Inter -institutional Agreement Reproduction Biotechnology is a tool that allows us to accelerate and improve different processes. One of the most used biotechnological techniques is undoubtedly micropropagation; This is applied successfully in numerous species of agricultural interest and conservation in different countries of the world. In vitro micropropaciation has a practical application in the cloning, conservation and manipulation of plant material (Pérez Molphe Balch et al., 1999). This technique allows the propagation of plants and provides an important economic advantage to agro -productive systems (Attree & Fowke, 1993; Gupta et al., 1993). In addition, it allows to reduce the long periods of maturation, the low viability of the seeds and the difficulty of some individuals to spread by traditional methods (Trigian et al., 1992). Currently, the Group of Genetic Resources and Biotechnology continues to work on the development of new protocols for the propagation of species of forest and agro -productive interest such as default without thorns (Rubus sp.), Cedro (cedrella montana), walnut (neotropic juglans), capulí (prunus serotina), Guarango (Caesalpinia spinosa) (Magnolia sp.), Membrillo (Cydonia oblong), Chilean apple (Crataegus), Chirimoya (Annona Cherimola) and Orchids (Orchideaceae). However, the installed capacity of the laboratory limits the speed and efficiency of the investigations. Additionally, there is no installed capacity for the mass propagation of species of interest or for the phytosanitary diagnosis of the plants produced.

STRENGTHENING RESEARCH GROUPS