Re: Re: inducing tetraploidy

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I am happy to see this topic again.
I started working on this about a year ago.  I decided to start out with I. tectorum, as the seed sale always had I. tectorum left over.  I thought I'd learn with them, then work on arils.  Aril seeds are harder to come by.  And japanese iris crosses would be very interesting as amphiploids.  Also, I have for years wondered what would come of amphiploids of s with tectorum.\
I wrote to Rodney Barton for tectorum seeds, and he offered the seeds free in exchange for an artical for the newsletter with my results, which I still owe him.
I got started learning to sterilize seeds and culture them under sterile condition.  That turned out to be easy.  5 minites in 50% Chlorox bleach, then rince in sterile water twice, soaking each time about 5 min. while swirling them around in the sterile jar.
The the seeds were put onto sterile MS medium and I got nearly 100% germination and good survival.
Then I got distracted by the final illness of my mother and put this work aside.  She died 2 weeks before what would havve been her 100 birthday.
Then I retired, moved, married and so on.  Now I have started again.  Thhis time I start using oryzalin and another one the name I forget just now.
Stay away from colchicine.  There are safer chemicals to use now, plus these others are cheaper and easier to get.  Even so, treat them with respect.  There is no reason to get them on you or to breath them in.
Join the Home Tissue group to get information on how to get chemicals, how to work under sterile conditions, how to do it all.  That group is mostly amatures but includes professionals and folks with Ph.D.s in this.  Google Home tissue culture or kitchen tissue culture or kitchen culture.
There are several videos of culturing things on youtube.
Walter