The present invention discloses and claims methods and devices for the rapid mechanical isolation of monocot plant tissues suitable for transformation or tissue culture. The invention includes mechanical devices for substantially isolating target plant tissues for use as transformable explants, and propagation of transgenic plants and plant tissues.

Methods and devices for dispersion of clusters of somatic plant embryos suspended in a liquid are disclosed. The methods comprise i) subjecting the clusters of embryos to fluid dynamics forces causing axially extensional strain and radially compressional strain and ii) subjecting the clusters of embryos to fluid dynamics forces causing axially compressional strain and radially extensional strain fluid dynamics and iii) repeating said steps in sequence until the individual embryos are separated from each other. The devices may comprise a flow channel including at least one constriction, such that clusters of embryos flowing through the flow channel are first subjected to axially extensional strain and radially compressional strain, and then to axially compressional strain and radially extensional strain from fluid dynamics forces.

The invention provides methods for identifying regenerated transformed plants and differentiated transformed plant parts, obtained without subjecting plant cells to selective conditions prior to regenerating the cells to obtain differentiated tissues. In particular embodiments, the plant cells are corn plant cells. Methods for growing and handling plants, including identifying plants that demonstrate specific traits of interest are also provided.

An integrated incubation, cultivation and curing system and controls for optimizing, standardizing and enhancing plant-based medical therapies by controlling and regulating plant growth, development and performance at any stage of a plant's development including propagating, growth, flowering, fruit formation or during processes associated with the handling of the culture through multiple automated, enclosed and controlled environmental systems and thereby standardizing the resultant product.

A method, apparatus, and system are provided for the printing and maturation of living tissue in an Earth-referenced reduced gravity environment such as that found on a spacecraft or on other celestial bodies. The printing may be three-dimensional structures. The printed structures may be manufactured from low viscosity biomaterials.

Systems for plant culture include a chamber featuring one or more walls enclosing a spatial volume internal to the chamber, where the one or more walls include a surface for supporting a plant within the enclosed spatial volume, a gas delivery apparatus with at least one gas source, a nutrient delivery apparatus with a reservoir, a sampling apparatus connected to a port formed in the one or more walls, and a controller configured so that during operation of the system, the controller activates the nutrient delivery apparatus to deliver an aqueous growth medium to the plant, and activates the gas delivery apparatus to deliver into the enclosed spatial volume a mixture of isotopically-substituted gases. Also provided are methods of use of the system for measuring nitrogen in a plant and for identifying microbes capable of providing fixed nitrogen to a plant.

Automated systems and methods are provided for use in processing explant material. One example system includes a first station configured to sterilize explant material with sterilization media, a second station configured to receive the explant material from the first station and rinse the explant material, and a third station configured to receive the explant material from the second station and hydrate the explant material with rehydration media. The system also includes a support structure, wherein the first station, the second station, and the third station are positioned on the support structure.

A method of producing cotton fibers from cotton callus cells in vitro is provided. The method includes the following steps in order: (1) culturing cotton callus cells in a suspension culture medium; (2) feeding a first bioreactor with the callus cells, a multiplication medium, and air compression; (3) culturing the callus cells in the first bioreactor for 5 to 12 days to accomplish at least two rounds of duplication of the callus cells; (4) serially repeating steps (2) and (3) one or more times, thereby obtaining serially duplicated cells; (5) seeding one or more second bioreactors with the serially duplicated cells, an elongation medium, and air compression; (6) culturing the serially duplicated cells in the one or more second bioreactors, thereby obtaining elongated cells; and (7) culturing the elongated cells in a maturation medium, thereby obtaining the cotton fibers.

A method for organically planting Dendrobium, including using a planting medium in the epiphytic planting step of Dendrobium. The raw materials of planting medium include fermented powder of Dendrobium candidum leaves and sawdust; a method for preparing the fermented powder of Dendrobium candidum leaves is as follows: cutting Dendrobium candidum leaves into small pieces and mashing the small pieces of Dendrobium candidum leaves to obtain materials to be fermented, and then adding liquid medium to the materials to be fermented to obtain fermentation system; sterilizing the fermentation system, adding fermentation bacteria to the fermentation system to obtain a mixture, fermenting and filtering the mixture to obtain post-culturing fermentation broth and fermented products of Dendrobium candidum leaves, dewatering and crushing the fermented products of Dendrobium candidum leaves to obtain fermented powder of Dendrobium candidum leaves.

Containers for growth of cryo-sprouts with reduced numbers of pathogenic organisms. The covered containers have an air-permeable seal and may also have additional openings to increase the air permeability rate of the covered container. The air permeability rate is balanced to have sufficient air exchange but with an evaporation rate that is low enough to avoid addition of water during germination and growth of the cryo-sprouts. The seeds and sufficient water are added to the container and covered with a lid to form an air-permeable covered container. The seeds germinate and grow in the covered container at pathogen antagonistic temperature without the removal of the lid until use by consumer. This results in cryo-sprouts that have reduced numbers of pathogenic organisms, are greener, and have an extended shelf-life.