Tissue Culture
Tissue Culture Laboratory provides a valuable service to the development of the
agriculture sector. Funded by the German Development Service (GDS), the facility
at NARI Keravat came into operation in 1992 and since then has contributed significantly
to a number of agricultural research projects of national and regional importance.
These involve receiving, maintaining and making available planting materials for
research and distribution to farmers.
Potato Late Blight Project
With the current outbreak of potato late blight in PNG, tissue culture plays an important role in making available disease free planting materials. Thirty-three (33) varieties of potato tolerant to blight are being maintained and multiplied in tissue culture for the Potato Late Blight project. The Australian Center for International Agricultural Research is funding the project.
Mid-altitude Potato Improvement Project
The 33 potato lines are also multiplied for the Mid-altitude Potato Improvement project. This project is funded by AusAID's ACNARS (Australian Contribution to the National Agricultural Research System) project.
Sweet Potato Project
Seventy-nine (79) selected varieties of sweet potato are being maintained and multiplied for distribution to atoll communities under the European Union (EU) funded Atolls project.
African Yam
African yams are being maintained and multiplied for the EU funded Atolls project for distribution to atoll communities.
Banana Project
In collaboration with the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP) on global screening of improved banana varieties resistant to major diseases like sigatoka, bacterial and fusarium wilt, NARI is maintaining 23 breeding lines of banana in tissue culture.
Training
Apart from supporting research projects, the Keravat programme provides training on the practical aspects of plant tissue culture to students from Universities in PNG and other Pacific Islands.
For further information, Contact
NARI Wet Lowlands Islands Programme
P.O Box 204, KOKOPO
East New Britian Province
Papua New Guinea
Phone: (675) 983 9145
Fax: (675) 983 9129
Email: nariwlip@nari.org.pg