Course Overview

Entrepreneurship Development of Disease-Free Potato Seed Through Tissue Culture

Course Code: MC55004
Course Title: Entrepreneurship Development of Disease-Free Potato Seed Through Tissue Culture
Start Date: September 20, 2025 📅
Duration: 26 hours (13 weeks, 2 hours per class) ⏰
Mode: Blended (primarily in-person, occasional online sessions) 🌐
Class Size: 20 participants 👥
Course Equivalent: 2 Credit Hours
Course Fee: 5,000 BDT (3,000 BDT with 40% early registration discount) 💸

Course Description 🚀
Entrepreneurship Development of Disease-Free Potato Seed Through Tissue Culture (MC55004) addresses the critical need for disease-free potato seeds in Bangladesh, where 60% of farmers face yield losses due to seed-borne diseases (BARI, 2022). This course equips learners with practical tissue culture skills to produce high-quality potato seeds, meeting the 70% shortage of trained technicians reported by the Bangladesh Tissue Culture Association (2023). Through lab work, fieldwork, and entrepreneurial training, participants will drive agricultural innovation and agribusiness opportunities. 🌟

Syllabus 📚\

• Week 1: Intro to Potato Seed Production – Potato’s role, tissue culture benefits. Activities: Market analysis. Resources: BARI reports. 🥔\

• Week 2: Potato Biology – Morphology, life cycle, healthy explants. Activities: Plant identification quiz. Resources: Plant Propagation by Tissue Culture. 📖\

• Week 3: Lab Design – Lab zones, workflow. Activities: Layout planning. Resources: Laminar airflow, autoclave. 🧪\

• Week 4: Equipment Use – Autoclave, pH meter, microscope. Activities: Equipment demo. Resources: Culture vessels. 🛠️\

• Week 5: Chemical Safety – Handling agar, MS salts. Activities: Safety protocol practice. Resources: PPE, chemicals. 🧤\

• Week 6: Sterilization – Autoclaving, explant sterilization. Activities: Sterilization lab. Resources: Sodium hypochlorite. 🧫\

• Week 7: Media Preparation – MS media, growth regulators. Activities: Media formulation. Resources: Sucrose, agar. 🌱\

• Week 8: Tissue Culture – Explant inoculation, subculturing. Activities: Shoot regeneration lab. Resources: Laminar airflow. 🌿\

• Week 9: Incubation – Light, temperature, humidity control. Activities: Growth monitoring. Resources: Incubators. 🌡️\

• Week 10: Disease Management – Pathogen detection, quality assurance. Activities: Contamination lab. Resources: Testing kits. 🔍\

• Week 11: Hardening – Acclimatization, polyhouse use. Activities: Hardening practice. Resources: Greenhouse materials. 🏡\

• Week 12: Field Transfer – Planting, post-care. Activities: Field visit. Resources: Partner farms. 🚜\

• Week 13: Entrepreneurship – Business planning, market linkages. Activities: Proposal presentation. Resources: DAE funding schemes. 💼

Learning Outcomes ✅
Participants will:

• Apply tissue culture principles for potato seed production. 🌱

• Prepare media and use aseptic techniques per lab standards. 🧫

• Operate and maintain tissue culture equipment. 🛠️

• Manage contamination and ensure quality control. 🔍

• Optimize incubation conditions for plantlet growth. 🌡️

• Diagnose potato pathogens using standard methods. 🦠

• Harden and transfer plantlets to field conditions. 🏡

• Develop entrepreneurial plans for seed production. 💼

• Align with local/international seed standards. ✅

• Establish or contribute to tissue culture labs. 🏭

Target Audience 🎓\

• Final-year diploma/undergraduate students in agriculture, biotechnology.

• Early-career professionals, lab technicians, agripreneurs.

Entry Requirements 📋\

• HSC or equivalent; preferably in biotechnology, agriculture.

• Basic knowledge of plant biology, microbiology, lab safety.

• Minimum age: 19 years.

Career Pathways 🚀\

• Agri-biotech entrepreneurs, seed enterprise managers.

• Roles in ACI, BADC, government projects.

• MSc/PhD in plant biotechnology, seed science.

• Professional Certificate in Potato Tissue Culture.

• Research assistants, lab technologists in seed production.