Table of Contents

"Plant Tissue Culture for the Classroom and Home"
An Interactive Course with Lessons, Lab Exercises,
Lectures, and Technical Manual

Presented by:
Carol M. Stiff, Ph.D., Plant Tissue Culture Specialist
President and CEO - Kitchen Culture Kits, Inc.

Welcome to
"Plant Tissue Culture for the Classroom and Home".
This course was developed to help the hobbyist, student, teacher, future commercial grower, and other brave people get a better understanding regarding the concepts, terminology, and methods of plant tissue culture.

Scroll down and look over the lesson, lab, and lecture titles. Then return to the top and go to Lesson 1 where the mechanics of the course will be explained.

Lesson
1
Introduction: Course Mechanics, Contact Numbers, and the "Growing Glossary"
Course Materials Needed and Where to Find Supplies
What is Plant Tissue Culture and How is "Home" Tissue Culture Different from Conventional Tissue Culture?
Why Do Universities and Private Industry Use Plant Tissue Culture? Why Do You Want to Use Plant Tissue Culture Techniques?
CLONING: Are All Plants Produced Through Tissue Culture Methods Identical to the Original Plant?  Why is There Variation?
Safety Concerns
Lecture: Introduction to Plant Tissue Culture

Lesson
2
Basic Plant Anatomy
Routes of Development in Plant Tissue Culture
Basic Steps in Plant Tissue Culture
("Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3")
Plant Hormones or Growth Regulators
Kitchen Lab Exercise:  Media Preparation
Lecture: Plant Growth Regulators

Lecture:  Plant Tissue Culture Media Constituents

Lesson
3

Preparing a "Clean Area" 
Why are We Using African Violet Leaves as Our Model System?
Cleaning Up (Disinfecting / Disinfesting) Plant Parts
Lecture:  Disinfecting (Disinfesting) Agents Used in Plant Tissue Culture
Kitchen Lab Exercise:  Cleaning the African Violet Leaves and Culturing the Leaves

Lesson
4
Kitchen Lab Exercise: Making FILTERS for Cleaning Small Seeds
Kitchen Lab Exercise: Axillary Bud Culture (Node Culture)
Kitchen Lab Exercise:  Fern Spore or Orchid Seed Culture

Lesson
5
Lecture: Anther Culture Techniques
Kitchen Lab Exercise:  Inducing the Development of Embryos from Carrot Tissues (Somatic Embryogenesis)
Lecture:  Micropropagation, Organogenesis and Somatic Embryogenesis

Lesson
6
Lecture:  Genetic Engineering
Lecture:  Protoplast Isolation and Culture
Lab Demonstration: Protoplast Isolation and Culture

Lesson
7
Isolation of a Shoot Tip from a:
  • Monocot (Example: Banana)
  • Dicot (Example: Poplar, Apple, Rose, or Lilac)
Subculture of Established Shoot Cultures:
  • Subculture (Transfer) of African Violet Plantlets to Fresh Medium
  • Subculture of Hosta Plantlets to Fresh Medium
  • Subculture of Sundew Culture to Fresh Medium
Transfer to Soil

Lesson
8
How to Write a Protocol
Calculations (Molar Solutions, Percentage, and Household Equivalents)
Observations and Record Keeping
Kitchen Lab Exercise:  A Classroom Exercise on Comparing the Effects of Plant Growth Regulators Using African Violets

Lesson
9
Protocols for Specific Plants:
Go to the Appendix and Click on "Protocols for Specific Plant Species"

Go Online and See the Latest Additions to the Protocol List:
Protected Website for Online/CD Course (you will need your login and password)

Lesson
10
Business Mistakes to Avoid
Lab Tour: Various Labs I Have Visited Around the World

Final
Lesson
Students' Choice: What have we not covered yet? Send your suggestions and requests to me (kck@turbonet.com) and I will try to meet your needs.

Go online to the OnlineCD webpage for latest additions.

Appendix
The Growing Glossary
Protocols for Specific Plant Species
Questions and Solutions
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
Manual of Plant Tissue Culture Methods
by Carol M. Stiff. 1998. Includes: 
  • Media Formulations
  • Media Preparation in a Laboratory
  • Anther Culture in a Laboratory
  • Protoplast Culture in a Laboratory
  • Genetic Engineering Techniques
Site Map
Online Additions (Connect to the internet 
and click here. You will need the login and password)

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Contact Information

Telephone
936-699-3551
Postal Address
905 Champions Drive; Lufkin, Texas  75901-7235
Home Page / Electronic Mail
General Information and Sales: http://www.kitchenculturekit.com
Customer Support (Carol Stiff): kck@turbonet.com

Copyright  (c) 1999 - Carol M. Stiff - All Rights Reserved
All photographs are by C.M. Stiff unless otherwise noted and
cannot be used elsewhere without written permission from the author.

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This page was updated on: Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Designed and Managed by Kitchen Culture Kits, Inc.
Questions, Comments, or Suggestions?
Contact: kck@turbonet.com