In vitro culture of woody plants is leaving the academic laboratories and is now being developed in a range of commercial applications in horticulture and forestry that respond to the challenges of climate change and changing global food and wood consumption habits. It is therefore urgent that the research challenges, public acceptance, risk assessment and commercial application are confronted now in order to establish a well-informed scientific community, policy makers and marketplace. This proposal concerns the following challenges, whose solution will have a significant scientific, social and economic impact: How can we overcome recalcitrance in a lot of woody plants? What are the best tools for diagnosis, sanitation and storing clean stocks? How can the production of elite clones be scaled up at an acceptable price? What are the real risks of this technology and how can the public be informed so that they appreciate and accept the applications? How can foresters and landowners be persuaded to invest in planting poly-clonal forests? Taking these aspects into account, it seems more than urgent to us to set up a European network to connect the researchers involved from various domains, so that they can share innovations and develop new research strategies, assess the risks of the technology and improve communication with stakeholders and the general public.

Details on COST action
MoU - 071/22
CSO Approval date - 27/05/2022
Start date - 24/10/2022
End date - 23/10/2026

Action Website

Action Chair:
Prof. Stefaan Werbrouck, Ghent University, Belgium

Članovi akcije iz IBISS-a:
Dr. Slađana Jevremović, Department of Plant Physiology, IBISS
Dr. Snezana Zdravković-Korać, Department of Plant Physiology, IBISS
Dr. Dusica Calić, Department of Plant Physiology, IBISS
Dr. Maja Belić, Department of Plant Physiology, IBISS
Dr. Jelena Milojević, Department of Plant Physiology, IBISS

External advisors:
Dr. Tatjana Vujović, Fruit Research Institute, Čačak
Dr. Darko Jevremović; Fruit Research Institute, Čačak
Dr. Tatjana Anđelić, Fruit Research Institute Čačak
Dr. Milena Đorđević, Fruit Research Institute, Čačak
Filip Maksimović, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, Belgrade
Dr. Vladislava Galović, Institute for lowmand forestry and Environment, Novi Sad