Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 12:29:22 +0100 From: "Dipl.-Inform. Stefan P. Wolf" <wolf@medinfo.uni-kiel.de> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg4464$foo@default> Subject: sterilisation for TC / plant pests (was: VFT tissue culture)
> I recently tissue cultured some VFT petiole cuttings. I immersed the
> cuttings in isopropyl alcohol for 3 minutes and then left them in
> hydrogen peroxide for another 3 minutes. Today, after two days, I
> checked up on the plants and found that they were turning an
> unhealthy brown hue. I suspect that I might have 'over sterilized'
> the plants. Does anyone know which substances are most effective in
> sterilization?
I'm not into TC and so I don't know if it has any side effects but
there is one "wonder drug" when it comes to sterilization: grapefruit
seed extract (don't confuse with grape seed extract). It was found to
be effective when a scientist noticed that the grapefruit seed in his
compost hardly ever rotted.
As I learned it's used in US hospitals as a substitute to alcohol
after tests showed alcohol killing 70% of a common hospital bacteria/fungi
collection while GSE killed 100%. It is environmental safe and you can put a few
drops to your daily fruit drink to fight a whole bandwidth of diseases. In
Germany it is sold in health food
stores and drugstores. Common names: Citricidal/NutriBiotic
(check http://people.enternet.com.au/~cytel/).
It even kills parasites like head louse etc. so maybe it helps against
most plant pests as well. You can add a few drops to water and spray
it on infested plants and it should do no harm to the plant. In
contrast to PPM it's absolutely safe to handle even if concentrated
but as it is so effective you can use it sparingly and so it's cheap.
It shouldn't have the side effects of alcohol, bleach or PPM as it
is in no way agressive. It is "currently used in international
markets as a sanitizing and disinfectant agent, as a fungicide, antibacterial,
antiparasitic, antiviral and preservative in food and cosmetics."
I'd like to hear if helps in TC or with pests as well. Any
experiences?
Bye, Stefan.
-- Dipl.-Inform. Stefan P. Wolf ..................................................... Inst. f. Medizinische Informatik und Statistik (IMIS) Klinikum der Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel mail : IMIS, Brunswiker Str. 10, 24105 Kiel, GERMANY phone: (+49 431) 597-3173 --- fax: (+49 431) 597-3193 >>>>>> http://www.uni-kiel.de:8080/medinfo/ <<<<<<<
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