Description

• General description: Typical working concentration: 1.5-2.5 g/L in plant tissue culture media; up to 10 g/L in microbiological media. Phytagel™ requires the presence of cations (especially divalent) for gelling to occur. Concentrations of calcium and magnesium contained in most plant tissue culture media are typically sufficient for gelation. Low-salt media formulations, especially those used in microbiological applications, may require supplementation with additional calcium or magnesium salts (e.g., CaCl2 or MgSO4) or higher concentrations of Phytagel.
• Application: Phytagel™ has been used:in the solidification of culture medium for root assays in Arabidopsis thaliana[1]as a component of Solid Paul′s medium for Agrobacterium culture[2]as a component of root induction medium in Ilex dumosa tissue culture[3]
• Biochem/physiol Actions: Phytagel is intended for use in place of agar and other gelling agent for plant tissue culture. Phytagel has been shown to be a superior substitute for tissue-culture-grade agar in the micropropagation of banana plantlets.
• Other Notes: An agar substitute produced from a bacterial fermentation composed of glucuronic acid, rhamnose and glucose. It produces a clear, colorless, high strength gel which aids in detection of microbial contamination.
• Reconstitution: To prevent clumping, add slowly to rapidly stirring medium prior to heating.
• Legal Information: Phytagel is a trademark of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC