Made in The Netherlands
Fairplant launches tissue culture lab
Rootstock nursery Fairplant and tissue culture specialist ViVi, part of Visser Horti Systems, have entered into a strategic partnership to develop a new blueberry tissue culture laboratory. The flexible and modular 84 m2 laboratory is a highly innovative lab, and will be installed as a plug-and-play system in Emmeloord.
Strategic expansion for Fairplant
The expansion fits well with the ambitions of the market leader in fruit tree rootstocks. “We are constantly looking for ways to stay ahead and secure the future, and we implement this in the broadest sense of the word,” says Rik Klein. A tissue culture environment has long been on Fairplant’s wishlist: “Four years ago, the idea arose to grow healthy, high-quality plants with a less soil-bound cultivation method, but with a lot of flexibility. This combination is extremely valuable when looking to the future,” explains Klein. The lab is expected to be fully operational by October.
Plug-and-Play lab: A turnkey solution
The plug-and-play lab from ViVi is a turnkey solution for a fully operational propagation laboratory. The modular design offers all the advantages of a conventional tissue culture lab, but is installed as a plug-and-play system. All the site requires is a flat surface, electricity, and a drainage connection. The lab can be operational within a few weeks.
Advantages of the modular lab
ViVi developed this innovative concept to provide easy access to tissue culture production for companies new to this segment. The main advantage of the modular lab is its cost efficiency compared to regular propagation laboratories, while maintaining the high-quality standards required for tissue culture production.
Complete facilities within the modular design
The 84 m2 laboratory is equipped with all the needed installations to run a complete tissue culture laboratory. This includes rooms for plant cutting, media preparation, and controlled multi-layer cultivation of the plantlets in ViTrays. Fairplant will be able to produce over one million micro-propagated blueberry plants per year. In addition to blueberries, Fairplant will also use the new lab for cultivating raspberries, blackberries, and various other small fruit plants.
Training for Fairplant employees
ViVi will train Fairplant employees in-house for the new tissue culture lab. This is an intensive three-month course at the ViVi laboratory in ‘s Gravendeel. The training familiarizes Fairplant staff with micro-propagation and keeps them up to date with the latest innovations in tissue culture production.
A game-changer for the micro-propagation market
The modular lab concept is ideal for growers with little experience in micro-propagation and for companies seeking easy access to tissue culture production. Due to the relatively low investment required, this modular designed lab represents a real game-changer for the micro-propagation market across many crops.
