Dr. Joseph Dallon, Jr.
Office: G-324
Phone: (201) 684-7730, Secretary's extension: 7748

SBIO 0327 PLANT TISSUE CULTURE

COURSE DESCRIPTION: An exploration and evaluation of the methods for disease-free production of seed-bearing plants, included among which are succulents, herbaceous perennials, and woody dicots.  Specialty crops such as orchids, cacti, and exotic foliage and flowering plants are also included.  Emphasis is on sanitation, media preparation, hormonal influence on organ differentiation, stock plant maintenance, and somaclonal variations. 

GOALS OF THE COURSE:

1. To facilitate a higher level of understanding of the influence of hormones on organ differentiation
2. To facilitate the development of skills in micropropagation such as media preparation, sanitation, and tissue preparation for aseptic culture
3. To facilitate an understanding of interactions between environment and genotype in selected plant species
4. To provide for observation of whole plant production from ex-plants of various plant parts and from undifferentiated callus tissue

COURSE OUTLINE

I.         INTRODUCTION

II.      SANITATION AND MEDIA PREPARATION

III.     EXPLANTS AND THE CULTURE ENVIRONMENT

IV.     HORMONES AND ORGAN DIFFERENTIATION

V.       GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

VI.     COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS

VII.    SOMACLONAL VARIATIONS

VIII.   SOMATIC HYBRIDIZATION

IX.      MAINTAINING HYBRID VIGOR AND GENETIC PURITY

X.       FUTURE OUTLOOK OF MICROPROPAGATION

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

GRADING POLICY

Grades will be determined as follows:
Mid-term exam      25%
Independent laboratory project and paper      20%
Laboratory exercises      25%
Final exam      30%

TENTATIVE LECTURE-DISCUSSION OUTLINE

Week 1   Introduction.  History and development of micropropagation, commercial applications
                 advantages and disadvantages of aseptic processes, supplies and equipment.

Week 2    Media preparation and species specification.  Tissue sanitation, sources and preparation of explants.  Disinfection of
                 the propagation environment.

Week 3    Advantages and disadvantages of meristem, leaf, root and other tissue sources.
                 Comparisons between juvenile and mature tissues.

Week 4    Effects of synthetic and naturally occurring hormones on organ differentiation.

Week 5    Growth chamber environment: Effects of temperature, photoperiod, and humidity
                 on organ differentiation.

Week 6    Primary and secondary infections in explants.

Week 7   Managing differentiation: Callus formation and differentiation, and single cell culture.

Week 8   Virus indexing in stock plants.  Maintaining disease free-stock.

Week 9    Maintaining genetic purity in cultures.

Week 10  Embryo culture.

Week 11  Anther culture and protoplast fusion.

Week 12  In vitro hybridization.

Week 13  Commercial applications of micropropagation.

Week 14  Presentation of results of laboratory experiments.

Week 15  Final exam

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;   Media characteristics and selection