- ORCHID BIOTECHNOLOGY 211
growers to improve production systems through clonal propagation as
well as effectivein vitrogermination of new and improved hybrids.In
vitroseed germination is a popular technique among orchid breeders,
while micropropagation techniques have allowed the large-scale mass
clonal propagation of new and improved orchid material. In this realm,
bioreactors have contributed significantly for the automation in orchid
production, allowing a fast and efficient production system associated
with reduction in production and labor costs.
Synthetic seed technology offers unique opportunities for the
improvement of propagation and transportation of orchid genetic mate-
rial, facilitating the connection between commercial tissue culture lab-
oratories and orchid growers. This technique has not been exploited
to its full extent yet, but as it expands to important orchid seeds and
hybrids, it may become a viable system for providing seed material for
the orchid industry.
Cryopreservation techniques have been applied using orchid seeds,
protocorms, pollen, and meristems. Such techniques have allowed the
long-term conservation of orchid material considered either threatened
or endangered and have facilitated the storage and distribution of mate-
rial to orchid growers and breeders at affordable costs. Advances in
the techniques of cryopreservation have also favored the production of
clean plant material through cryotherapy.
There are many additional techniques in biotechnology that address
important issues of a more basic research nature that have been covered
in additional literature. In this review, we touched the surface of the
most relevant techniques as applied to orchid production and conser-
vation, including the latest advances in the field. As new techniques are
being developed, further advances are likely to offer new opportunities
and tools for orchid research aimed at both production and conserva-
tion efforts.
LITERATURE CITED
Abdul Ghani, A.K., and H. Haris. 1992. Plantlet formation from young leaves of Mokara.
Lindleyana 7:11–12.
Akita, M., and S. Takayama. 1994. Induction and development of potato tubers in a jar
fermentor. Plant Cell Tissue Org. Cult. 36:177–182.
Aktar, S., K. M. Nasiruddin, and K. Hossain. 2008. Effects of different media and organic
additives interaction on in vitro regeneration ofDendrobiumorchid. J. Agr. Rural Dev.
6:69–74.
Alam, M.F., P. Sinha, and M.L. Hakim. 2010. Micropropagation of Vanda teres
(Roxb.) Lindle. p. 21–28. In: S.M. Jain and S.J. Ochatt (eds.), Methods in molecular