IMPROVED MICROPROPAGATION APPARATUS AND METHOD

摘要

The invention provides apparatus for severing plant material in micropropagation. Microplants (35) growing in a culture-medium-containing tray (34) are supported in an inverted disposition within an enclosure (1). A cutting means (15) suitably having one or more optionally cooperating blades is traversed across the array of microplants (35) at a level such that a multiplicity of nodes (36) are cut from the inverted plants (35). The nodes (36) are collected on an underlying container or tray (5), containing a culture medium. The cut nodes held on tray (5) are then enclosed within a PVC wrapping material (39a, 39b) at a wrapping station (38), sealed within the film (39a, 39b) at a further station (41), and removed to a downstream growth location, where plant development takes place under controlled environmental conditions.