Tissue Culture Network - Community Forum

The Past, Present, and Future of Cannabis sativa Tissue Culture

Discover how tissue culture is transforming Cannabis sativa propagation. From clean plant programs to floral reversion breakthroughs, learn how modern…

0 Comments

Propagation of Banana Plants via Tissue Culture From Initiation to Acclimatization

Banana plants can be propagated efficiently through tissue culture, providing disease-free, uniform, and high-yielding plantlets. This guide details e…

0 Comments

In Vitro Propagation of Aponogeton ulvaceus: Advancing Tissue Culture of Ornamental Aquatic Plants

The first successful in vitro propagation system for Aponogeton ulvaceus offers a sustainable solution to meet commercial demand while protecting natu…

0 Comments

Plant Cell Technologies in Space: Background, Strategies, and Prospects

Plant cell culture has evolved from early organ culture to sophisticated systems capable of producing high value compounds and regenerating whole plan…

0 Comments

Automation in Plant Tissue Culture: An Educational Overview

Automation in plant tissue culture aims to reduce labor, improve consistency, and scale propagation by integrating bioreactors, imaging, robotics, and…

0 Comments

An Introduction to Plant Tissue Culture: Advances and Perspectives

Plant tissue culture has evolved from a proof of cellular totipotency into a cornerstone of modern plant biotechnology. From commercial micropropagati…

0 Comments

Plant tissue culture is notoriously vulnerable to microbial contamination, with microbes hitchhiking on explant surfaces, in culture media, on tools, and even in the air of transfer areas. Conventional sterilization—typically bleach, ethanol, antibiotics, or metallic nanoparticles—can suppress contaminants but often damages sensitive tissues or disrupts morphogenesis. A 2021 open-access study explored a novel, plant-based alternative: fumigation using turmeric rhizome and benzoin resin smoke, and found it can significantly reduce contamination—and in some cases eliminate it entirely—while leveraging carbon nanodots present in the smoke as the likely antimicrobial agents. What the researchers tested Explants from three ornamental species: Rhododendron yedoense var. poukhanense (Explant 1), Hedera helix (Explant 2), and Rosa hybrida ‘Red Sandra’ (Explant 3). Three fumigation strategies: Method A: Fumigate culture plates (media only) over turmeric or benzoin smoke for 3min at 15cm, seal until use. Method B: Directly fumigate explants over smoke for 10s at 30cm, then culture. Method C: Collect smoke soot, disperse in 20% ethanol, immerse explants for 5min, then culture. All cultures used MS medium with 3% sucrose and 0.8% plant agar, incubated at 25±2°C with a 16h photoperiod. Contamination was assessed at 2 days (bacteria) and 7 days (fungi). Key findings Method A (fumigating media only) was insufficient overall. Turmeric-smoked plates reduced contaminants for two species (Explant 1 and 3), but benzoin-smoked plates showed no benefit; media-only fumigation did not reliably control surface contaminants on the explants themselves. Method B (direct explant fumigation) worked broadly. Depending on species and fumigant, inhibition ranged from partial to complete: for example, turmeric achieved 100% inhibition in Rosa; benzoin reached 80% in some cases. Method C (smoke-soot dip) also worked well. Turmeric soot pretreatment cut contamination to as low as 16% in Rhododendron and 20% inhibition in Hedera, while benzoin soot achieved 100% inhibition in Rosa in this regimen. Across species, the most consistently effective workflows were direct explant fumigation (Method B) and soot pretreatment (Method C). The authors highlight turmeric direct fumigation and benzoin soot pretreatment as standouts for eliminating surface contaminants in Rosa. Why smoke works: carbon nanodots with bioactive coatings The team characterized soot from both turmeric and benzoin smoke using UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, and TEM, confirming the presence of carbon nanoparticles (5–50nm for turmeric;

Fumigation for Plant Tissue Culture: What a 2021 Study Reveals About Turmeric, Benzoin Resin, and Carbon Nanodots

A 2021 study introduces a green alternative to harsh surface sterilants in plant tissue culture: brief fumigation with turmeric or benzoin resin smoke…

0 Comments

Sorbitol

Sorbitol, a versatile sugar alcohol (C₆H₁₄O₆), plays a crucial supporting role in plant tissue culture. Its primary function is osmotic regul…

0 Comments

Mannitol

The delicate protoplasts, naked and vulnerable, swam in a solution where mannitol reigned. Its gentle osmotic embrace, a precise counterpoint to the …

0 Comments

Malt extract

The amber liquid, fragrant with the ghosts of barley fields, shimmered under the lab's fluorescent lights. A complex brew of sugars, amino acids, and…

0 Comments