Articles
NEW POSSIBILITIES OF USING GRODAN IN PROPAGATION
By developing new products and methods of production the possibilities of using GRODAN for all kinds of propagation are increasing.
The propagation units are produced with a vertical fibre direction and the uniformity of the product has been improved considerably at the same time.
A new production method of GRODAN propagation units has made it possible for Grodania A/S to supply propagation units as small as 18 x 18 mm corresponding at 3136 blocks per m2 and with a hole in every unit, in which a cutting, a seed or an unrooted plantlet from in vitro conditions can be placed.
Each propagation unit of 18 x 18 mm has a conical shape which creates air pruning of the root system and hereby prevent roots from penetrating the surrounding units.
The propagation units are individually fixed into a sheet of 25 x 50 cm size.
Since propagation in GRODAN from seeds and cuttings is well-known, we will in the following only describe the application of GRODAN for micro propagation.
During the past decade micro propagation of plants has become more and more applied in modern horticulture.
Though still a very labour intensive process, micro propagation of various pot plants has reached an economical basis.
Despite the obvious advantages obtained with the application of micro propagation, problems with the traditionally used techniques have occurred when rooted plantlets are potted in conventional peat based substrates.
The transfer process from flasks with up to hundreds of plantlets to the final growth media will usually lead to physical damages and the transferred plantlets will often be susceptible to various phytopatogenes during the critical stages of establishment.
Furthermore, the in vitro formed root system is usually non functional.
As a consequence of this a method described by Maene and Debergh (1983) has drawn considerable attention.