Story by Memory Chamisa
ZIMBABWE is stepping up its climate resilience initiatives with the establishment of a plant tissue culture laboratory at the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe headquarters in Harare.
As the country’s first specialised facility of its kind, the laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and is expected to produce over one million seedlings annually—a significant advancement over traditional nursery propagation methods. This milestone marks a transformative step in conservation science and sustainable forestry management in Zimbabwe.
“The establishment of this laboratory responds directly to long-standing national challenges in tree propagation, especially for indigenous tree species. Conventional propagation methods, which rely heavily on seed collection and nursery germination, are increasingly constrained by low seed viability, irregular flowering cycles in many indigenous species, susceptibility to pests and diseases, and the impacts of climate variability. These limitations have restricted our ability to meet the growing demand for high-quality planting materials for commercial forestry, ecological restoration, and biodiversity conservation. The tissue culture laboratory provides a scientifically robust alternative. Through micropropagation, we can rapidly multiply elite genotypes from a single parent plant to produce genetically uniform, disease-free and physiologically superior seedlings for restoration,” Laboratory Technician, Ms Hezel Tsiko said.
“The advantages of tissue culture over conventional methods are well established. For example, it enables year-round production regardless of seasonality or environmental conditions; guarantees consistency in quality and traits, which is essential for commercial plantation species; allows for the rescue and propagation of rare, endangered, or recalcitrant species; and reduces the risk of introducing field-borne pathogens into restoration landscapes. Micropropagation makes it possible to rapidly produce large numbers of plants that retain the desirable genetic traits, such as better growth, drought resistance, disease tolerance, or high timber quality, while ensuring their genetic consistency.
This laboratory is equipped with the full suite of infrastructure requirements for efficient tissue culture processes. Our operations are going to prioritise both commercially significant species-including Eucalyptus, Pinus, and fast-growing Acacia varieties-and native species that are essential for ecological restoration, watershed protection, biodiversity conservation, and supporting local economic livelihoods. The facility is also strategically positioned to support the recovery of rare or endangered tree species whose propagation through seeds is unreliable or biologically constrained,” Tree breeder Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe, Mr Pomerayi Mutete said.
The Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, believes the laboratory is set to become a national centre of excellence in tree biotechnology that strengthens not only national capacity for forestry but also plant science.
“As the government, we will continue to support such initiatives that not only transform the science space but also develop a pipeline of skilled technicians and scientists. The laboratory is a valuable tool for various applications, including producing plants in large numbers, creating virus-free plants, and conducting research in areas like genetic engineering. As we commemorate the National tree planting day, Saturday, December 6, we want to be able to reach the target of 10 trees per household in Zimbabwe, from fruit trees to plants,” she said.
Anchored on research and innovation, the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory is set to play a transformative role in changing the future of Zimbabwe’s forests, landscapes and scientific capacity.
Tissue culture process, scientifically known as micropropagation, is a controlled environment process that uses plant material to grow new plantlets in quick succession.
This process aims to increase yield while maintaining consistent quality to realise profit.
