Challenges and issues in scaling commercial production of conifer somatic embryogenesis

Summary Significant progress has been made toward commercial implementation of a large-scale somatic embryogenesis (SE) production process for spruce somatic embryos. The major emphasis was to overlay the established principles and disciplines of “Manufacturing Resource Planning” (MRP) onto the original laboratory-scale protocols used to produce spruce SE and SE products. This approach required extensive and precise characterization of the inputs, actions, labor requirements, and quantification of the resulting outputs for each process step. In addition, computerized process and inventory tracking programs were developed and incorporated. The information collected enabled identification and clear understanding of the biological and physical constraints within the process, and enabled optimization of SE production planning, costing and scheduling activities. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for each step of the SE process were developed and implemented. The net effect was the productivity of the scaled laboratory spruce SE process was increased by more than 300% without any additional labor inputs, while the direct cost-of-production for a “finished” somatic seedling was reduced by more than 70%.