USE OF LOW-COST GELLING AGENTS AND SUPPORT MATRICES FOR INDUSTRIAL-SCALE PLANT-TISSUE CULTURE

The efficacies of sage (from Metroxylon sagu Rottb.) and isubgol (from Plantago ovata Forsk.) as gelling agents and those of filter paper, n ylon cloth, polystyrene foam and glass wool cloth as support matrices have been tested for the propagation of plantlets of chrysanthemum (De ndranthema grandiflora Tzvelev). The performances of these low-cost ge lling agents and matrices were found satisfactory and could compare we ll with that of agar. Glass wool cloth was, however, found to be the b est matrix. Comparative cost estimations of the matrices and gelling a gents have been presented and their merits and/or demerits have been d iscussed. For a given quantity of a medium, sago and isubgol cost abou t 1/18th and 1/10th respectively, compared to agar (e.g. Sigma, purifi ed agar, No. A, 7921). The corresponding costs of the matrices are als o less than that of agar. The results showed the potential of the subs titutes for economic commercial application, replacing the costliest, though not indispensable, gelling agent agar.