High-quality and homogeneous Arabidopsis thaliana plants from a simple and inexpensive method of hydroponic cultivation
A methodology is presented for the hydroponic cultivation of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. that is simple and inexpensive to construct from easily obtainable and reusable materials. High-quality and uniform plant material, free of algae and disease, are consistently produced through all life-stages. Minor modifications to previous protocols that reduce cost and labour include the use of small food-storage containers with snap-on lids, aluminum foil wrap to cover the containers to occlude light, commercial hydroponic fertilizer as nutrient solution, and clipped 1.5 mL microfuge tubes as plug holders. Seed is germinated on nutrient agar plates, instead of directly on rockwool plugs; after the seedlings have grown to the six-leaf stage, they are removed from the plates and the roots are enclosed within rockwool plugs that have been cut longitudinally. Subsequent seedling growth is very uniform and the elimination of oversowing and subsequent thinning results in a dramatic reduction in seed and seedling wastage.