Abstract
Condensation on the lids of Petri dishes, used to culture plant tissues, can often obscure the view of the contents of the dish and interfere with data collection. Under the high humidity conditions that exist in the culture container, a small temperature drop causes water to condense on the inside lid and sides of the container. Mild condensation causes “fogging” while continual or repeated rounds of condensation result in the formation of water droplets. To control condensation in the standard plant tissue culture Petri dish, a simple method was developed whereby the lid of the culture dish was modified, to buffer the lid from temperature fluctuations. Polymer discs, which were the same diameter as the Petri dish lid, were either placed on the top of the lids of existing dishes or surface-sterilized and used in place of the lid. Polymer discs of varying thicknesses and type, and possessing different thermal conductivities, were evaluated for their abilities to reduce the rate of condensation formation. Petri dishes with modified lids were placed under reduced temperature conditions. Condensation, forming on the lids of the dishes was quantified over time using image analysis. Gray value determinations indicated that the thicker polymer discs with the lowest thermal conductivities provided the best protection against condensation. Placement of polymer discs on the top of Petri dishes is a relatively simple method that can be used to buffer the lid from small temperature changes and minimize condensation problems.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- PE:
-
Polyethylene
- PS:
-
Polystyrene
- PC:
-
Polycarbonate
- PG:
-
Plexiglas®
References
Buenrostro-Nava MT, Ling PP, Finer JJ (2006) Comparative analysis of 35S and Lectin promoters in transgenic soybean tissue using an automated image acquisition system and image analysis. Plant Cell Rep 25:920–926
Chiera JM, Bouchard RA, Dorsey SL, Park EH, Buenrostro-Nava MT, Ling PP, Finer JJ (2007) Isolation of two highly active soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) promoters and their characterization using a new automated image collection and analysis system. Plant Cell Rep 26:1501–1509
Finer JJ, Beck SL, Buenrostro-Nava MT, Chi YT, Ling PP (2006) Monitoring gene expression in plant tissues; Using green fluorescent protein with automated image collection and analysis. In: Dutta Gupta S, Ibaraki Y (eds) Plant tissue culture engineering; Focus in biotechnology. Springer, Dordrecht
Gamborg OL, Miller RA, Ojima K (1968) Nutrient requirements of suspension cultures of soybean root cells. Exp Cell Res 50:150–158
MatWeb (1996) Automation creations, Inc., Blacksburg. http://www.matweb.com. Cited April 6, 2007
Murashige T, Skoog F (1962) A revised medium for rapid growth and bioassays with tobacco tissue cultures. Physiol Plant 15:473–497
Petri RJ (1887) Eine kleine Modification des Koch’schen Plattenverfahren. Zentralbl Bakteriol Parasitenkd 1:279–280
Acknowledgments
Salaries and research support were provided by State and Federal funds appropriated to The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Mention of trademark or proprietary products does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by OSU/OARDC and also does not imply approval to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable. The authors wish to thank Katrina Welty for assisting in concept development of the insulated lids.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Finer, J.E., Finer, J.J. A simple method for reducing moisture condensation on Petri dish lids. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 91, 299–304 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-007-9292-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-007-9292-6