Application

Phytagel^™ has been used:in the solidification of culture medium for root assays in Arabidopsis thalianaas a component of Solid Paul′s medium for Agrobacterium cultureas a component of root induction medium in Ilex dumosa tissue culture

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.

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.

Legal Information

Phytagel is a trademark of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC

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.

Packaging

100, 250, 500 g in poly bottle

1, 5 kg in poly drum

Reconstitution

To prevent clumping, add slowly to rapidly stirring medium prior to heating.