Hartmans Plants, Inc.

Yossef Tur-Kaspa

Robert Dale Hartman

Kenneth J Hornacek

Kevin J Brendel

An automated plant tissue proliferation system in which mature plants within a culture vessel are cut into a plurality of plugs using a die type cutter block. The cutter block is moved using a pick and place actuator to a work station where any extraneous nutrient media or plant material adhering to the sides of the cutter are removed using an indexed membrane sheet. A pair of opposed articulated wiping arms cause the membrane sheet to be wrapped around the cutter and pulled down vertically along its sides to remove the excess material. Thereafter, the cutter is indexed to deposit some fraction of the cut cells into a container having culture medium. Fluid pressure is used to eject material from the appropriate cells onto the media material. A number of additional containers are indexed into position with the cutter until all of the plugs of material are removed. the actuator and ejection system are so operated to distribute the plugs of plant material in a preselected array in a number of containers. The system provides rapid plant proliferation minimizing labor requirements and the liklihood of tissue culture contamination.

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Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Yossef Tur-Kaspa