Plantlet Holder and Handling System

Abstract

A plantlet holder (25) is formed of nutrient solution-absorbing, open celled, phenolic foam, with an upper handling portion (55), an insertion well (60) for a plantlet and a lower portion (56) adapted to laterally locate in a ring (30) in a work stand (24), the handling portion (55) adapted to be frictionally gripped for robotic or manual handling. Robotic handling apparatus includes a pair of plantlet holder gripper manipulator arms (40) adapted to engage the handling portion (55) for movement of a plantlet holder (25) between a material source portion, an operator work portion (14), and a material delivery portion. The operator work portion (14) is characterised by the work stands (24) locating the plantlet holders vertically by a step portion (32).

Claims

1-37. (canceled)

38. A plantlet handling system including: a plurality of plantlet holders each formed of open-celled phenolic foam and comprising an upper portion with a plantlet insertion well in its upper end and a lower portion adapted to locate in an opening in a support, the upper portion having an outer wall surface forming a handling portion adapted to be frictionally gripped for robotic or manual handling; a housing adapted to order the plantlet holders and maintain immersion in nutrient solution in use; a lid having a complementary engagement periphery adapted to mechanically and sealingly engage a corresponding peripheral lip of the housing to provide an enclosure in which sterility may be maintained.

39. The plantlet handling system according to claim 38 wherein the housing comprises a tub or tray including integral wells each configured to provide said support for a plantlet holder.

40. The plantlet handling system according to claim 38 wherein the lid includes a relatively deep peripheral flange that extends downward of the housing lip to define an annular dead space that is not subject to convection mixing with the environment.

41. The plantlet handling system according to claim 38 wherein the closure is selectively permeability to metabolic gases produced or required by plantlets by means of inclusion of a gas permeable portion of the closure, the gas permeable portion being selected from cellulosic non-woven material having a proportion of polyolefin fibre therein and axially oriented crystalline polyolefins.

42. The plantlet handling system according to claim 41 wherein the gas permeable portion comprises biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP).

43. A robotic plantlet handling apparatus including: a workstation having an operator work portion, a material source portion, a material delivery portion and a robot arm; at least one housing located at the material source portion and containing a plurality of plantlet holders; at least one said housing located at said material delivery portion and adapted to receive a plurality of said plantlet holders; and a plantlet holder manipulator on said robot arm and adapted to engage said handling portion for movement of a plantlet holder between said material source portion, said operator work portion, and said material delivery portion, said plantlet holders each being formed of open-celled phenolic foam and comprising an upper portion with a plantlet insertion well in its upper end and a lower portion adapted to locate in an opening in a support, the upper portion having an outer wall surface forming a handling portion adapted to be frictionally gripped by said robotic arm for handling.

44. The robotic plantlet handling apparatus according to claim 43 wherein the robot arm comprises a multi-axis robot arm controlled by a robotic controller and terminating in the plantlet holder manipulator.

45. The robotic plantlet handling apparatus according to claim 43 wherein the plantlet holder manipulator comprises a gripper assembly having a pair of jaws adapted to engage the handling portion of the plantlet holder and selectively operable between an open and closed position under robotic control by a pneumatic actuator.

46. The robotic plantlet handling apparatus according to claim 45 wherein a lower portion of the jaws is relieved to enable the jaws in the closed position to pass laterally into alignment with the handling portion, open, move vertically into full overlap with the handling portion, then close to grip the handling portion.

47. The robotic plantlet handling apparatus according to claim 43 wherein the operator work portion comprises one or more work stands each having an aperture selected to receive a said plantlet holder and associated with support means for presenting said handling portion above said aperture.

48. The robotic plantlet handling apparatus according to claim 47 wherein the handling portion and lower portion are mutually formed as an integral body of constant cross section extending from said upper end, and wherein said support means comprises a step portion associated with said work stand on which a lower end of said lower portion locates.

49. A plant cloning method including the steps of: (i) providing a workstation having an operator work portion, a material source portion, a material delivery portion and a robot arm; (ii) locating in said workstation at least one housing at the material source portion and containing plantlets in a plurality of plantlet holders, said plantlet holders each being formed of open-celled phenolic foam and comprising an upper portion with a plantlet insertion well in its upper end and a lower portion adapted to locate in an opening in a support, the upper portion having an outer wall surface forming a handling portion adapted to be frictionally gripped by said robotic arm for handling, the housing being closed by a lid having a complementary engagement periphery adapted to mechanically and sealingly engage a corresponding peripheral lip of the housing; (iii) locating in said workstation at least one other said housing at said material delivery portion and adapted to receive a plurality of said plantlet holders; (iv) removing said lid to a storage location; (v) operating said robot arm and a plantlet holder manipulator thereon to engage the handling portion of and remove a plantlet holder from the housing at the material source portion and deliver the holder to a work stand adapted to receive and retain the plantlet holder for a worker to operate on the plantlet in the holder; (vi) operating on the plant material to produce one or more product-containing plantlet holders; (vii) operating said robot arm and a plantlet holder manipulator thereon to engage the handling portion of and remove a plantlet holder from a work stand to a said housing at said material delivery portion; (viii) repeating step (vii) to exhaust product bearing plantlet holders on work stands; (ix) repeating steps (v) to (viii) until a said housing at said material delivery portion is loaded; and (x) installing said lid on said loaded housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0074] The invention will be described with reference to the following non-limiting embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawings and wherein:

[0075] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robotic arrangement for use with the plantlet holder of the present invention;

[0076] FIG. 2 is a detail view of the work stand portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in use;

[0077] FIG. 3 is a detail view of a work stand for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1;

[0078] FIG. 4 is a detail view of a plantlet holder in accordance with the present invention;

[0079] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a plantlet handling system in accordance with the present invention;

[0080] FIG. 6 is a detail view of a work stand portion of an alternative embodiment, in use;

[0081] FIG. 7 is a detail view of a plantlet holder in a workstand for use in the embodiment of FIG. 6;

[0082] FIG. 8 is a detail view of a work stand for use with the apparatus of FIG. 6;

[0083] FIG. 9 is a detail view of a plantlet holder for use with the apparatus of FIG. 6;

[0084] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a plantlet handling system in accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 6; and

[0085] FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a pair of gripper manipulator arms suitable for use in the embodiment of FIG. 6.

[0086] In FIGS. 1 and 2 there is illustrated the workstation 10 with the laminar-flow cabinet substantially cut-away for clarity. A platform 11 mounts a multi-axis robotic arm 12 located within an array comprising a material source portion 13, an operator workstation portion 14 and a delivery portion 15. The robot arm 12 mounts a tool assembly 16 described in detail hereinafter.

[0087] The material source portion 12 includes a removable, apertured plate 17 having wells for locating plantlet handling containers 18. The delivery portion 15 has a removable, apertured plate 20 having wells for locating plantlet handling containers to be filled. A lid storage plate 21 stores closure assemblies 29 for closing the housings 18 when filled.

[0088] The operator portion 14 comprises a hinged and removable plate 22 having a waste well including a disposable waste container 23. Four work stands 24 (illustrated in more detail in FIG. 3) are adapted to receive plantlet holders 25 described in more detail hereinafter. The plate 22 has an LED indicator 28 corresponding to each work stand 24, the respective LED indicators 28 being collectively wired to a quick release connector (not shown) to permit removal of the plate 22.

[0089] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the work stand 24 includes a body 26 releasably secured to the plate 22 and having an overhanging upper portion 27. A ring 30 is adapted to receive a plantlet holder 25. An undercut engagement portion 31 cooperates with the platform 22 to locate the work stand.

[0090] The tool head 16 includes a rotating tool mount 36 rotatable relative to the robot arm 12. The rotating tool mount 36 mounts a tool assembly 38 consisting of a pair of gripper manipulator arms 40. The arms 40 each have a gripper end 41. The arms 40 are actuated by a pneumatic actuator 43. The gripper ends 41 are configured in this embodiment to grip a hexagonal section and are relieved at 44 to allow an “in-and-down” engagement with the plantlet holder 25, found to be most useful when the plant material is crowded over the plantlet holder 25.

[0091] In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 there is provided a plantlet handling apparatus, wherein FIG. 4 is a variation on a plantlet holder 25 having a square handling portion and FIG. 5 is of the apparatus in context, including a housing 18 formed of a light-transmitting polypropylene, a plurality of the plantlet holders 25, and a closure assembly 29.

[0092] A unitary phenolic open-celled foam plantlet holder 25 comprises an upper handling portion 55, a lower portion 56 and a support portion 57. The upper handling portion 55 is of square section and has a plantlet insertion well 60 formed therein and extending down through the plantlet holder to a blind end within the lower portion 56. The lower portion 56 is asymmetric in that a front portion 61 is relieved toward its lower end to allow it to clear features of its environment on arcuate movement.

[0093] The support portion 57 supports the plantlet holder 25 in the ring 30 and is formed of the residue of a frangible web 62 binding a matrix 63 of twenty-four plantlet holders 25, as seen in FIG. 5.

[0094] In the assembly of a plant handling apparatus of FIG. 5, the housing 18 comprises side 74 and end 75 walls which are divergent up from a base wall 76 to provide for stackability of the housings 18. The upper edges 77 of the side and end walls form a reinforced edge including a mechanical engagement for the closure assembly 29. There is provided a step 80 in the side 74 and end 75 walls and providing an annular land on the inside of the housing 18. The base wall 76 is formed with re-entrant portions which enable the apparatus to be stacked complete with inserted plantlet holders 25 for shipping.

[0095] The base wall of the housing 18 has integrally formed plantlet holder support wells 87 in array and shaped to accept the plantlet holders 25 and providing positive orientation of the plantlet holder 25. The spacing of the wells 87 is selected to break apart the matrix 63 on insertion.

[0096] The closure assembly 29 comprises a polypropylene moulded body portion 110 having formed in the upper surface a pair of windows 111 formed in a raised portion 112 which provides some stiffening of the upper surface. The upper surface is bounded by a peripheral stiffening ridge 113.

[0097] An outer flange 116 extends down past the upper edge 77 in use to define a dead space which resists convection mixing.

[0098] The windows 111 are closed off by a biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film heat sealed to the raised portion 112 in order to provide a closure assembly that is substantially sealed to the housing to reduce the risk of biological contamination while permitting exchange of metabolic gases.

[0099] The containers 18 and closures 29 in assembly may be shipped with the matrix 63 installed, either preloaded with or ready to accept the nutrient medium.

[0100] In the alternative embodiment of FIGS. 6 to 11, where like details are numerated as per FIGS. 1 to 5, the four work stands 24 (illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 7 and 8) are adapted to receive phenolic foam plantlet holders 25 described in more detail hereinafter.

[0101] As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the work stand 24 includes a ring 30, in this embodiment adapted to receive a plain square section plantlet holder 25. The plain square section plantlet holder 25 is located as to height by resting on a step portion 32.

[0102] In this embodiment a pair of gripper manipulator arms 40 each have a gripper end 41. The gripper ends 41 are configured in this embodiment to grip a square section and are relieved at 44 to allow an “in-and-down” engagement with the plantlet holder 25, found to be most useful when the plant material is crowded over the plantlet holder 25. A locating nib 45 on the gripping face of each gripper end 41 penetrates the phenolic foam surface of the handling portion 55 in use, providing positive location of the plantlet holder 25 in its manipulations. The nib 45 is domed and about 2 mm diameter and less than 1 mm height

[0103] A unitary phenolic open-celled foam plantlet holder 25 is of constant square cross section.

[0104] Apparatus in accordance with the foregoing embodiments are mechanical devices that support individual tissue culture plantlets, allowing them to be readily handled as individuals for transfers between tissue culture flasks, and transfer ex-vitro to soil or other growing medium. The plantlet holder provides a solid projection for mechanical gripping and movement of individual plantlets without touching the plantlet shoots or roots directly.

[0105] While illustrated with application of micro-propagation methods, the plantlet holder system is applicable to many types of plant tissue culture, including organogenesis or somatic embryogenesis, and to transformation/regeneration systems. The plantlet holder system can be used with manual methods of handling using forceps and similar gripping tools; the system is also suitable for machine controlled tools to facilitate mechanized handling methods.

[0106] The components of the robotic consumables facilitate positioning and handling features for rapid loading of the custom robotic platform and removal and storage of lids. All components have been designed for manufacturing and assembly efficiency, and will nest and stack in all assembly variations for volume efficiency in transport, sterilisation, media filling, and laboratory storage and tissue culture growth. Space efficiency is high with typical growing density (per layer) of 1000 plantlets/m.sup.2.

[0107] The present plantlet holder system enables rapid and efficient robotic handling. Plantlets are conveniently presented to operators in an ergonomically appropriate way for easy dissection and transfer, with presentation interval of approximately six seconds. Operator efficiency is increased about five-fold over conventional tissue culture. These capabilities of the present system provide a powerful platform that radically changes the efficiency, capacity, quality and management of plant tissue culture operations. It is adaptable to different plant architectures, making it suitable for most, if not all, tissue culture systems. The flexible control of growth conditions may also make tissue culture successful with targets that are otherwise recalcitrant. More importantly, with the price sensitivity of many prospective targets, cost reductions possible from the present system can dramatically increase market demand.

[0108] It will of course be realised that while the above has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is set forth herein.