On the generality of methods to obtain single-cell plant suspension cultures

Abstract

Several techniques employing mechanical, chemical, or enzymatic methods have been suggested for the production of essentially single-cell plant suspension cultures. If single-cell cultures can be obtained, the effects of the media composition on growth can be unambiguously determined. Additionally, such cultures would be amenable to optical and electronic methods for rapidly determining cell mass, number, and volume and could easily be used in experiments on continuous cultivation. Most methods to produce single-cell cultures have been applied to only one or two species. In this paper, these techniques are compared when extended to cultures of Paul's Scarlet Rose (Rosa sp.) cells and soybean cells (Glycine max L.). It is concluded that no technique will generally give sustained disaggregation without affecting the apparent biochemical state of the culture.