IL116365A - Culture vessel - Google Patents

Description

A CULTURE VESSEL nam1? A. Tally Eitan-Zeev Pearl & Co.

Law Offices P-F-AS-847-IL FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a culture vessel for plant tissue culture and is particularly useful for in vitro regeneration and mass propagation of plantlets.

PRIOR ART It is presently known on the art to use solid as well as liquid culture mediums for such in-vitro regeneration and mass propagation of plantlets. However, it has been found that the use of liquid culture medium in conventional processes of in-vitro regeneration of plantlets is more effective since it facilitates more oxygen and nutrient uptake by the cells/tissues which improves production levels. Culture vessels known in the art are normally found to be more suitable for use in solid culture medium since this suffers from certain inherent limitations in their construction for having the advance of the use of liquid culture medium. It is essential that for plant tissue culture with liquid culture medium, the plant tissue during culture be free of any contamination either from the atmosphere or in improper handling of the tissue while carrying out various stages of the culture. Further, in use of liquid culture medium, it is necessary to periodically monitor the culture medium to ensure proper quantity of the liquid medium to facilitate proper uptake of the medium by the tissue for the purpose of its culture. Moreover, to carry out the various stages of culture of tissue. the liquid culture media requires to be changed from one formulation to another during the culture process. While changing the liquid culture media, it is necessary that the tissue is not subjected to contamination. The conventional culture vessels presently used in the art are not suitable for plant tissue culture using liquid culture medium.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a culture vessel for plant tissue culture which can be advantageously utilised in carrying out the different shapes of plant tissue culture with liquid culture medium by changing the medium in the same vessel and thereby reducing the chances of contamination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a culture vessel comprising : a transparent container having a releasably fitted cap; atleast one side tube having a releasably fitted cap and being in flow communication with the lower part of said container through atleast one passage; said side tube disposed at an inclination with respect to the wall of said container; atleast one float member disposed within said container and having a porous support sheet to support the tissue for culture.

The culture vessel of the present invention allows a tissue culture without subjecting the tissue to contamination. The releasable cap of the container restricts inflow of contaminants within the vessel during culture. Further, the side tube provides for necessary monitoring change of liquid culture media and/or maintaining particular predetermined level of the liquid media in the vessel and drain in/out to and from the vessel as and when required. The requirement of the tissue to be transferred from one vessel to the other for subjecting the same to the culture stages is also carried out in the same vessel by introducing the appropriate liquid medium through the side tube into the vessel at each stage of culture. The side tube is also provided with a releasable cap at its open end to restrict infloq of any contaminants within the vessel through the tube, DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic representa ion of the culture vessel according to the present invention showing the vessel fitted with the cap and housing the float member with the supported porous sheet inside the float; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the float member illustrating the provision of the flange near its lower end to support the porous sheet; and Fig. 3 is a further sectional view of the complete culture vessel along line AA ' of Fig. 1 with the cap fitted thereon.

Reference is made to Fig.l wherein the culture vessel (V) comprises a container (CO) which may be cylindrical or of any other shape having a screw cap removably held thereto. As shown in Fig.3, cap (Cp) has a membrane made of any suitable resilient or puncturable material so as to allow an introduction or withdrawl of a needle of a syringe. The side tube (ST) communicates with the inside of the container (CO) through passages (01) and (02) provided in side wall (WS) . Passages (01) and (02) are disposed in a spaced relationship to each other, and such that passage (01) allows an introduction, addition or withdrawl of the culture medium into container (CO) without the removal of the cap (Ca) . Passage (02) is disposed at a height above passage (01) and breaks the vacuum within side tube (ST). The container (CO) has a float member F) which may also be cyl indrical ly shaped or any other shape. The shape of container (CO) and float member (F) is not of importance. Float (F) has a porous sheet (PS) . In accordance with one embodiment, float (F) is provided with a radially inwardly extending flange (FL) , as shown in Fig.2, which has a porous sheet (PS) held thereto. Alternatively, as shown in Fig.3, flange (FL) supports parous sheet (PS). The tissue is placed on porous sheet (PS), which simultaneou l allows absorption of the nutrient from the liquid media by the tissue. Thus, the tissue for culture is placed on the porous sheet (PS) and the float (F) is then introduced through the open end of container (CO) . Thereafter, cap (Ca) closes container (CO) so as to provide a contaminant free atmosphere to the tissue. The fitting of cap (Ca) to container (CO) can be effected either by means of threads which may be continuous or discontinuous or any press fit connection of the cap (Ca) to container (CO). The liquid media required for the tissue culture is fed into container (CO) through side tube (ST) and passage (01). As soon as the liquid media occupies container (CO) under float (F) , the latter rises up and floats aver the liquid media. The level of the liquid media is maintained up to a maximum upper limit so that it is lower than the height of second passage (02) . The transparency of container (CO) and side tube (ST) further facilitates constant monitoring of the level of the liquid media in vessel (CO). During tissue culture, the liquid media is uptaken by the tissue and due to such uptake of the liquid medium, the level of the liquid starts falling. Such fall in level of the liquid media in vessel (CO) is noted and the level is maintained by introduction of fresh liquid media through side tube (ST). Likewise, while carrying out various stages of the culture process, if it is essential to change the liquid media, side tube (ST) can be effectively utilised to drain out and/or introduce the liquid media necessary for the growth of plant tissue. Side tube (ST) is provided with a releasably fitted cap (Cp). The cap (Cp) in accordance with a preferred embodiment, has a membrance (M) of rubber or any puncturable material to facilitate the draining or the introduction of the culture media to the container (CO) through the side tube (ST). The releasably fitted cap (Cp) can have a threaded connection to the side tube or may be press fitted onto the side tube's top end. Once the tissue is supported on sheet (PS), and in order to maintain the contaminant free atmosphere within container (CO), the introduction, replenishment or withdrawal of a culture medium is effected by puncturing membrane (11) with the needle of a syringe.

As shown in Figs.2 & 3, float (F) comprises an inner wall (F), spaced from the outer wall (F2) so as to provide the required strength to float (F).

The threaded press fit connection of caps (Ca) and (Cp) may have continous and/or discontinous threads to prevent ingress of contaminants into culture vessel (CO). Preferably, cap (Ca) is provided with a radially inwardly and downwardly extending sloped bottom surface (SL) as illustrated in Fig, 3. The inclined sloped surface cap prevents contamination resulting from arrested condensed droplets held along the cap wall joint and/or its dripping down along the wall of the container.

It is obvious to mention that the culture vessel and its side tube of the invention which is shown to be cylindrical shaped as described above with reference to the accompanying figures of the preferred embodiments can be of any other shape and configuration, triangular, circular, square, rectangular, oval and polygonal. Also, the shape of the float member and the perforated support structure Further, it is possible to make obvious modification of the culture vessel of the invention described above and the scope of the invention should be determined keeping in view of the possibility of the obvious modifications of the disclosure according to the present invention. It may be noted in this respect that the culture vessel of the invention can have more than one side tube instead of the one side tube described in the illustrated preferred embodiments.

Claims (10)

WE CLAIM :

1. A culture vessel comprising : a transparent container having a releasably fitted cap; atleast one side tube having a releasably fitted cap and being in flow communication with the lower part of side container through atleast one passage; a float member slidably provided within said container and having a porous support sheet to support the tissue for culture.

2. A culture vessel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the side wall of said container has a first opening, a second opening spaced from and at a height above said second first opening, said openings being in flow communication with said side tube.

3. A culture vessel as claimed in claim 1 wherein said float member has a radially inwardly extended flange with sheet .

4. A culture vessel as claimed in claim 3 wherein said support sheet is supported on said flange.

5. A culture vessel as claimed in claim 3 wherein said support sheet is held to said flange^

6. A culture vessel as claimed in claim 1 wherein said float comprises one inner and outer wall, said inner wall spaced from the outer wall.

7. A culture vessel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cap of said side tube has a membrane.

8. A culture vessel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cap of said container has inwardly downward surface.

9. A culture vessel according to any of claims 1 - 8 substantially as described hereinabove.

10. A culture vessel according to any of claims 1 - 8 substantially as illustrated in any of the drawings. Law Offices of A. Tally Eitan - Zeev Pearl & Co. P-F-AS-847-IL \847\spec.il