Virus Elimination
Viral infections have a significant impact on the growth and development of plants, making production of virus-free material essential.
Virus elimination typically occurs in in vitro conditions through meristem isolation. Virus infected plants have virus free parts known as meristems. The meristem is a growth point of the plant with a diameter ranging from 0,1 to 1 mm and has the ability to develop into a fully grown virus-free plant. To culture meristems, it needs to be excised from the virus infected plant. Due to its small size, excision is done under the microscope. Outgrown plants will be tested through PCR by Iribov’s analytical services to determine if the virus has been eliminated. Testing will be done three times to declare the plant as virus-free.