Ornamental plant tissue culture industry in Flanders (Belgium)

Plant tissue culture research for ornamental plants in Belgium started in the early 1970s. Ghent University’s Department of Plant Production was an important player and drove the creation of spin-off companies in the 1980s. These companies started to micropropagate high value plants on a commercial scale. Plant tissue culture has remained an important economic activity, with medium to large companies located mainly in Flanders (Northern Belgium). Today, most companies have outsourced the labour intensive aspects of micropropagation while maintaining the administrative headquarters and research activities within Flanders. Here we describe some historical aspects of plant tissue culture in Belgium and present the state of the art of micropropagation industry in Flanders. We also summarise the plant tissue culture research activities at universities and research stations.