Note: This research product won a silver medal at the International Trade Fair (Ideas-Inventions-New Products) held at the Nuremberg Exhibition Center, Germany from 3 to 6 November 2005.
Researchers: Assoc Prof. Chan Lai Keng and Prof. Boey Peng Lim
Bench Top Airlift Plant Propogation Culture Vessel was designed to provide proper contact and sufficient aeration between the cultures and the liquid medium, all in a vessel to enhance better growth in a aseptic condition.
The aeration is provided via a 0.2 ųm membrane through a glass tube at the lid and the cultures will be well aerated by the forming of fine air bubbles at the end of 4 funnel-shaped filters that are placed near the base of the culture vessel.
The excess air will be removed via a glass vent also attached to the lid. It is a very versatile system and can be used for the propagation of any plant species as long as the proliferation culture medium for that particular plant species is established. This portable culture vessel could be easily used and placed wherever we want it to be as long as there is availability of light source.
This newly invented culture system has been proven to increase the growth rate of the shoot explants of Typhonium falgelliforme. The conventional method of producing Typhonium falgelliforme plantlets take 12 weeks before they are ready to be transferred to soil.
With this airlift culture vessel, we can propagate the tissue culture plantlets of Typhonium falgelliforme within 4 weeks ready for planting in the field. The number of plantlets produced was found to be ten times more than that of the conventional gel culture system. The plantlets can be harvested within 1/3 of the time used in the conventional method.
For more information, contact
Associate Professor Chan Lai Keng
Universiti Sains Malaysia,
(Contact details available to registered journalists)
