to Tom Wagner

[DuckCreekFarms]

Tom

Do you maintain some of your potato germplasm invitro?

gary

[Tom Wagner]

Do you maintain some of your potato germplasm invitro?

Gary, I used to. Several former cooperators would clean up a few of my varieties and grow out a few generations of certified seed potatoes. I even paid the cost of keeping three varieties in tissue culture until I could no longer afford the maintenance. There may be a few firms keeping some tissue culture alive but they are not disclosing that information to me.

I may have some new cooperators that are attempting the tissue culture business themselves but that remains to be seen.

Due to the high costs of tissue culture...I don't see my personal fortunes ever supporting and getting back into tissue culture; therefore most of my work will continue to be in the TPS business. True Potato Seed is the cost effective way I can offer new potato varieties.

[DuckCreekFarms]

Tom

thanks for the reply

not what I was hoping to hear.

I collect sweetpotatoes and was thinking about putting some in tissue culture and only grow out a few varieties each year or at least have a back up if something happens to some of my germplasm. I have done TC before so am familiar with the process and it doesn't scare me at all. Also I have been wanting to try my hand at virus therapy as the sweepotato plant is supposed to grow faster than the virus during rapid growth. I am just not sure how much of the tissue will be unaffected such as the tip inch of the vine or only the meristematic tip. Also I have read that they give them heat therapy but don't know what temp kills the virus but not the plant tissue, how long etc.

know anything about these folks? http://www.phytocultures.com/lib_potatoes.asp

thanks again
gary

[cortona]

this webpage looks really interessant!

[wingnut]

That is a rip-off. $10,000? A good laminar flow hood from fungi.com costs about $350, ALL the glassware you need <$100, Lights (totally super pimped grow area)$1000, and Chems and agar from hometissueculture.com $<100. I will have my Home lab up soon, life keeps getting in the way?!?!?! I am currently doing some mini tuber production from very small (< 1/2") sprouts that I bleach then grow out in sterile medium. These are mainly potatoes that have lacked dormancy, that I want to hold until I get things in-vitro.