Kitchen Culture Kit
The Kitchen Culture Kit
includes a manual of instructions, supplies,
and chemicals for plant tissue culture media. With these you will
learn how to do plant tissue culture in your kitchen or classroom
without expensive equipment.
Why did I develop the Kitchen Culture Kit?
- Biotechnology plays an important part of our daily lives. Plant tissue culture is one
form of biotechnology.
- Several teachers and education students have requested instruction on how they can bring
biotechnology techniques to the classroom. First hand experience with some simple
techniques is invaluable to developing a better understanding of new technologies.
- However, funding for most school systems is minimal and expensive biology kits are
usually not affordable.
- Hobbyists and Master Gardener’s have also expressed an interest in trying tissue
culture but did not want to spend too much.
- This kit was developed with these people in mind: most supplies that are used can be
found in your kitchen. Only chemicals and supplies that are not readily available come
with the kit.
Plant tissue culture involves the sterile
growth of plants in test tubes or bottles for the purpose of mass production. Through the
use of plant hormones and other growth regulators, small plant parts can be induced to
produce hundreds of small "plantlets" which can be further developed and grown
in a greenhouse or as house plants. This technique is used extensively to mass produce
special plant cultivars, to produce specific individuals for plant breeding programs, and
to transfer new, valuable traits into plants in genetic engineering programs. |
Getting
started with "Kitchen Culture Kit"
Using African violet leaves,
you will be able to initiate a plant culture, transfer that culture 6 - 8 weeks later to
new medium for multiplication, and finally plant these miniature plantlets in soil.
Following this model protocol will teach
you how to successfully sterilize media with a microwave or a pressure cooker, disinfect
plant pieces, and initiate cultures without an expensive laminar flow hood.
This general procedure can then be applied
to the tissue culture multiplication of other plants. |
What is included in the basic "Kitchen Culture Kit"?
- Murashige and Skoog (MS) plant growth medium (for 2 liters of African violet medium).
- Benzylaminopurine (BAP), a plant growth hormone that induces shoot formation in African
violet leaves (10 ml).
- Plant Preservative Mixture (PPM), a biocide that reduces or eliminates fungal and
bacterial contamination in tissue cultures (5 ml).
- Agar (for solidifying two - three liters of medium including the original MS/BAP medium
and a homemade medium described in the manual).
- Forceps - 8 inches.
- Polypropylene (microwavable and autoclavable) baby food jar caps (50).
- Plastic (regular) pint jar caps (2).
- pH papers.
- Measuring spoons for agar, gelrite, and liquid media.
- Milliliter measuring tools (transfer pipette or droppers).
- Smidgen spoons for measuring agar
- MSDS on a CD.
- Manual of basic tissue culture techniques.
Plant Tissue Culture for
the Classroom and Home
A Manual to Accompany the "Kitchen Culture Kit"
Copyright (C) 1998 - All
Rights Reserved
Step by step color photos
showing how to make tissue culture medium with a microwave or a pressure cooker, and how
to culture and grow the plant tissues without expensive equipment.
Table of Contents
Introduction: "Why did I
develop the "Kitchen Culture Kit"?
What is included in the kit?
What do you need to provide?
Safety recommendations
Some Basic Plant Tissue
Culture Information
What is plant tissue culture?
Why do universities and private industry use plant tissue culture?
Why do you want to use plant tissue culture techniques?
Why are we using African violet leaves as our "model" system?
Basic Instructions for use of
the "Kitchen Culture Kit"
Preparing water and African violet medium
Sterilizing water and medium
Preparing a "clean area"
Materials needed for the culture of African violet leaves
Cleaning the plant material
Culturing the leaves
Subculture (transfer) of "plantlets" to fresh medium
Transfer to soil
Questions and Solutions
Recommended Books
Customer Information Series
Axillary Bud Culture
Banana Tissue Culture
Carnivorous Plants
Fern Runner Tip Culture
Hosta Tissue Culture
Orchid Seed Tissue Culture
Rhododendron Tissue Culture
Plant Responses to Difference Growth Regulators: A classroom project
Replacement Supplies and Order Form
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) Information |
What
do you need to provide?
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Microwave Oven with
Turntable |
or
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Pressure Cooker |
AND
- 50 baby food jars
- 2 pint jars (regular opening)
- 1 quart or liter jar
- table sugar
- vinegar
- antacid tablets or baking soda
- food coloring (optional)
- dish detergent
- bleach
- isopropyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol
- hydroponic fertilizer
- florist's tape
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- salad plate or paper toweling for cutting sterile
plant material
- kitchen knife (about 6 inches)
- Pyrex pie pan (about 8 inches) for use in the microwave
- plastic or cardboard box to serve as a "clean
area"
- protective clothing: goggles, gloves, dust mask, apron,
shoes
- African violet leaves (fresh)
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What if I don't want to culture
African Violets?
OTHER MEDIA OPTIONS: If you do not want to culture African violets, KCK
has other options for the basic kit. In place of the basic African violet medium,
we will substitute medium for:
- Banana
- Bamboo
- Blackberry
- Blueberry
- Carnivorous plants
- Daylilly
- Axillary bud culture (including boston fern, carnation, chrysanthemum)
- Fern spore culture
- Hosta
- Orchid seed
- Orchid plant parts
- Rhododendron
- Rose
- "GIFT"
Each of these media can also
be purchased - contact us for pricing. Indicate on your order if you want to replace with
one of these, or purchase additional media.
- KCK will sell media replacement supplies including various plant growth regulators in
soluton, MS basal medium (1 liter package mix), agar, and other supplies as they become
available.
- We will put together special orders for classroom situations and advise you on different
protocols and plant species that might work best for you.
- We will also advise you on other sources of supplies if we cannot meet your needs.
- A listserv has been set up to serve as a place to exchange
ideas and discuss problems and solutions.
Order at: www.hometissueculture.org
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| Precautionary Note: This kit contains chemicals that should be used
only under the supervision of a tissue culture trained adult. Please read and follow all
safety precautions and MSDS forms in the "manual" before using this kit. We
recommend wearing goggles, gloves, and a dust mask when preparing the media, and using hot
mits when handling the hot media containers. Foot protection should also be worn to
protect against potential broken glass injuries. Goggles and gloves should be worn when
working with dilute PPM, bleach, or alcohol solutions. There should be no smoking or open
flame, and a fire extinguisher should be available. We do not accept responsibility for
incidents related to misuse of this product. |
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