Tissue Culture

[injunjoe]

I have always wanted to try tissue culture.

Does anyone here have any experience in this?

With the cooler weather approaching my garden I should get some extra experimenting time to give this a try.

Any thoughts or ideas?

Thanks Joe

 

[Rosalind]

Yes. Tissue culture is most of my job.

You will likely need a laminar flow hood, which can be purchased from mycology hobbyist suppliers (e.g. Fungi Perfecti) to keep the cultures clean. I had an adviser once who swore this was not necessary, but he also spent a lot of time complaining about contaminations, so I'd say it probably is a requirement. They are not cheap.

You will need to find someone to teach you aseptic technique. If there are any mycology classes near you, or something like Red Cross Bloodborne Pathogens training, that includes a reasonable amount of aseptic technique training. Basically, nothing non-sterile can touch anything that needs to be sterile, but until someone stands over you and nitpicks your every hand motion, you won't really "get" it. Or if there are reasonably-priced undergrad-level bacteriology courses at a college/university near you, those classes are sometimes available to audit for cheap.

Plant tissue culture is relatively easy because the media used won't support anything other than plants and yeasts. But you will need to keep airborne and skin-carried yeasts out of your cultures, and that takes both skill and practice.

Be warned: textbooks on the subject are not cheap.

 

[injunjoe]

Rosalind thank you. This input is very helpful.

As an aspiring scientist I am aware of aseptic technique to some degree.

I have read a little on this subject and do plan on more study.

Thank you again and please feel free to add any other ideas you have on this subject!

Would you agree then, in a small space one could make a great deal of valuable exotic plant starts?

Joe

 

[injunjoe]

I found this Diy laminar flow hood.

Seems easy enough to build.

Rosalind could you share with us what kind of tissue culture you do?
This is very interesting to me.

Thanks Joe

 

[Greensage45]

 

[injunjoe]

Good find Ron.

This is a lot of pennies! *Joe off to bank for penny rollers*

Joe

 

[Rosalind]

Would you agree then, in a small space one could make a great deal of valuable exotic plant starts?

Oh, most certainly! The thing you have to be careful of is that some things, like certain roses, are patented, and by culturing them for sale you'd end up violating their patent. Culturing them for your own use or for educational purposes is OK though.

I am a biologics drug discovery scientist, I make recombinant tissue culture versions of human proteins, which occasionally actually help sick people.

 

[Greensage45]

 

[ducks4you]

.....ummm.....why are the Barbie's so happy?!?!?......

 

[injunjoe]

To funny Ron.

Eby and I did a joke with a Barbie one time.

A friend's kid left one in the car and we held it for ransom.
We left photos at his house and a tape of her *touture* His little girl was not around and did not see our joke!!!
It was a lot of fun. I think the ransom was a case of beer and join us for a cookout.

Joe