Optimized Plant Production Systems:

Medicinal and Ornamental Species

The Plant Cell Technology Laboratory (PCTL) is dedicated to advancing the knowledge of plant growth and development for the conservation, redistribution, and sustainable use of plants. Controlled environment production technology combines the use of micropropagation, including large-scale multiplication in bioreactors, and cultivation in growth chambers and greenhouses to achieve optimum plant development and chemical profile. This integrated approach has important applications in rapid production and commercialization of value-added plants such as medicinal and ornamental species. The PCTL has developed efficient mass multiplication protocols to grow medicinal plants that are chemically consistent and free of biological and environmental pollutants. Additionally, controlled environment production offers a unique opportunity for fast introduction of novel hybrids, mutants, sports, native species, and plants with improved traits such as unique flower color, disease resistance, yield, and higher content of medicinally active compounds.