Zhejiang Qunxin
     Biological Industry Development Co. Ltd

Zhejiang Qunxin Biological Industry Development Co. Ltd is a high-tech corporation relying on Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University Zhejiang. The company specializes in the development of photoautotrophic micropropagation with devices, and gets three national patents and one international patent.

Zhejiang Qunxin Biological Industry Development Co. Ltd has built a longtime cooperation relationship with Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University Zhejiang and established a research center of micro-environmental control. The center includes four laboratories and focuses on several research fields such as introduction and cultivation of rare ornamental plants, protection and propagation of rare plants, modernization and GAP cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine, biodiversity protection and application. The center plays an important role in driving the developments of microenvironment control technology and agricultural industry.

Photoautotrophic Micropropagation

Photoautotrophic micropropagation invented by Dr. Toyoki Kozai of Chiba University Japan is a unique approach of producing in vitro quality plantlets with high photosynthetic rate and fast growth by controlling in vitro environmental conditions.

Micropropagation, an in-vitro vegetative propagation method using pathogen free propagules, has been considered significantly in agriculture and forestry for producing a large number of genetically superior and pathogen-free transplants. However, its wide commercial application is still limited due to its relatively high production costs resulted mainly from a poor growth and rooting, a significant loss of plantlets in vitro by microbial contamination, a high labor costs from intensive manual operations of small plantlets and small culture vessels, and a low survival percentage of the plantlets during acclimatization. The main reason is that plantlets are cultured on gelled medium containing sugar in a relatively airtight culture vessel under low photosynthetic photon flux photomixotrophically, lead to the poor growth and low net photosynthetic rates of in vitro plantlets, which result in the low survival and poor growth in the acclimatization stage.

Photoautotrophic micropropagation is a unique approach of producing in vitro quality plantlets with high photosynthetic rate and fast growth by controlling in vitro environmental conditions. Photoautotrophic micropropagation has many advantages over conventional photomixotrophic micropropagation in producing high quality plantlets.

1． Low risk of contamination

In photoautotrophic micropropagation, plantlets utilize the light and CO2 as energy sources for photosynthesis, and the loss of plantlets in vitro due to bacterial, fungal or other biological contamination can be significantly reduced, which facilitates introducing large culture vessels. However, in conventional photomixotrophic micropropagation, plants utilize sugar in the medium as an energy source, which cause often contamination, resulting in the loss of a number of plantlets and small vessels used.

2． Enhanced photosynthesis and growth of the plantlets

Plantlets have a high photosynthetic ability in photoautotrophic conditions under high photosynthetic photon flux and high CO2 concentration than in the photomixotrophic conditions. Photosynthesis of plantlets in vitro is suppressed when cultured with sugar in the medium because plantlets cultured in the sugar-containing medium depend more on the sugar in the medium than on the CO2 in the air, resulting in a low or negative net photosynthetic rate. Therefore, photoautotrophic micropropagation can be produce a large number of high quality plantlets in a shorten time. 

3. Shorten culture period

Conventional micropropagation can be generally classified into four stages, initiation (Stage 1), multiplication (Stage 2), rooting (Stage 3), and acclimatization (Stage 4). For photoautotrophic micropropagation, the number of classified stage may be less than in conventional photomixotrophic micropropagation, since multiplication and rooting stages are often combined as one stage in photoautotrophic micropropagation by reproducing photosynthetically active, leafy nodal cuttings to be used as explants. The acclimatization stage is often eliminated when plantlets are grown under optimal photoautotrophic conditions.

4. High survival percentage ex-vitro

High quality plantlets lead to high survival percentage of plantlets during acclimatization. In addition, when the culture vessel with high ventilation rate or high number of air exchanges is used, the relative humidity in the vessel is reduced. This reduction in relative humidity results in the enhanced rooting and high percent survival at the ex-vitro acclimatization stage, especially when the porous supporting materials are used in vitro.

5. Low production costs

The production costs in photoautotrophic micropropagation can be reduced by 30 –50 %, compared with that in conventional micropropagation, because by using large vessels with sugar-free medium, photoautotrophic micropropagation system show better growth, lower percent loss due to contamination, higher quality, higher percent survival ex vitro, and less labors, therefore, resulting in a lower production cost.

In conclusion, photoautotrophic micropropagation is an advanced plant production techniques that emerged as an integration of biology and engineering to produce a large number of genetically superior and pathogen-free plantlets at low production costs for solving the global problems on environmental conservation, food production and bio-resource production in the 21st century. Such systems and the outcomes of research and development in photoautotrophic micropropagation will also contribute to improvement and problem-solving in future agriculture, forestry and horticultural production systems.

Photoautotrophic Micropropagation Devices

Through many years of research, we have got a major breakthrough in application of photoautotrophic micropropagation with a developed device, which has been got an international patent (WO 2005/058022 A1). In addition, aimed at different requirements of consumers, a series of photoautotrophic micropropagation devices are developed, including research-type, produce-type, common -type and family-type. The device with hydroponics system and large vessels, the CO2 concentration, photosynthetic photon flux, temperature, relative humidity inside the vessel can be controlled, can be broadly used in research and micropropagation industry to rapidly produce transplants at a low cost.  

A number of experiments have been published on the enhanced growth and photosynthesis of in vitro plantlets by using photoautotrophic micropropagation. However, the commercial production is limited due to without fit equipment or device.  Based on a lot of academic researches of photoautotrophic micropropagation, after many years of tackling the key problems, we have got a major breakthrough in the application of photoautotrophic micropropagation with a developed device, which has been got an international patent (WO 2005/058022 A1).

In addition, aimed at different requirements of consumers, a series of devices for photoautotrophic micropropagation are developed, including research-type, produce-type, common-type and family-type. The devices have CO2 supplying system, hydroponics system, data analysis system, and light, temperature and humidity control systems, can be broadly used in research and micropropagation industry to rapidly produce high quality transplants.

Research-type Device  

Research-type device of photoautotrophic micropropagation is for universities and colleges, research institutes, large-scale production. The device has three culture spaces, each with independent CO2 supplying system, hydroponics system, data analysis system, and light, temperature and humidity control systems. The device can be used for doing experiment with three treatments.

Main features

1. Three independent culture spaces, each with a suit of independent environmental control system.

2. Special light quality for plant growth and adjustable light intensity.

3. Adjustable temperature and humidity inside the vessel.

4. Automatically supplying CO2

5. Recycling nutrient solution

6. Beautiful figure and reliable capability.

7. Easy to use and maintain.

Technical parameters

Produce-type Device

Produce-type device of photoautotrophic micropropagation includes four culture layers with a suit of CO2 supplying system, hydroponics system, data analysis system, and light, temperature and humidity control systems. The device can be used for producing quality plantlets.

Main features

1. Large culture area

2. A suit of environmental control system

3. Special light quality for plant growth and adjustable light intensity.

4. Adjustable temperature and humidity inside the vessel.

5. Automatically supplying CO2

6. Recycling nutrient solution

7. Beautiful figure and reliable capability.

8.  Easy to use and maintain.

Technical parameters

Common-type Device

Common-type device of photoautotrophic micropropagation made by low-cost materials is for companies and farmers. The device includes four culture layers with a suit of CO2 supplying system, hydroponics system, and light, temperature and humidity control systems. The device can be used for producing quality plantlets.

Main features

1. Large culture area

2. A suit of environmental control system

3. Special light quality for plant growth and adjustable light intensity.

4. Adjustable temperature and humidity inside the vessel.

5. Automatically supplying CO2

6. Recycling nutrient solution

7. Beautiful figure and reliable capability.

8. Easy to use and maintain.

Technical parameters

Family-type Device

Family-type device of propagation is for general citizen.  The device includes three culture layers with a suit of hydroponics system, and light, temperature and humidity control systems. The device can be used for producing green sprouting vegetables and non-polluted vegetables. It not only produces the plants but also brings scientific knowledge and interest into people’s life.

Main features

1. Smaller dimension fit for families

2. A suit of environmental control system

3. Special light quality for plant growth and adjustable light intensity.

4. Adjustable temperature and humidity inside the vessel.

6. Recycling nutrient solution

7. Beautiful figure and reliable capability.

8. Easy to use and maintain.

Technical parameters