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Facility and equipment of ACT |
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Laboratory 2:This lab is used for chemical analysis and other bench top work. It occupied the same area as Laboratory 1. It accommodates three growth chambers, two sets of Olympus dissecting microscope and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Two sets of PC systems are used for data analysis and collection database of ACT. This database records all of the process and quanity of inoculum production in greenhousem. Numbering, barcode labelling and data calculation could be performed automatically by this PC system.
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Laboratory 3: In 11.7 x 5.7 m2, it accommodates most of the instruments related to culture preservation and inoculal production. The instruments include two sets of lyophilizer, one CO2 incubator, two sets of bioreactors, one granular inocula producer, one laminar flow, two sets of shaker incubator, two sets of autoclaves, one cold room, and two sets of refrigerators. Lyophilizer could handle more than 10 liters of liquid sample and could preserve inoculum in ampules or larger containers. CO2 incubator is used for root organ culture. However, this instrument could not maintain lower temperature under 270C . Another new set is on the way which could grow VA fungi at lower temperature. Bioreactors are used for production of nitrogen-fixing and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria. These two groups of microorganisms could enhance the growth response of VA inoculation. Cold room, 2.7 x 1.7 m2 is not enough to preserve our collection at this moment. Our collection are more than 600 isolates and more than 800 Kg in weight.
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| Figures 1-5. Equipments in Laboratory. 3. Fig.1. Autoclaves. Fig.2. Refrigerator and CO2 incubator. Fig.3. Lyophilizers. Fig. 4. Cold room. Fig. 5 (left). Bioreactors. | |||
Green house: In a 6 x 10 m2, we grow more than 200 pot cultures and accommodates five boxes of aeroponic chambers. Most of our cultures maintain in this green house. Bahia grass and sorghum are two major crops for inoculum production.
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Growth chamber: This is a large walk-in growth chmaber, which maintain cultures from alpine area with lower temperature of 180C. Some of species were cultured in this chamber and the host plant was chosen as sudan grass. Seeds of this plants were sent as gift from Internation culture collection center of arbuscular- and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (INVAM) by Dr. Joseph Morton.
Corridor: Due to space limit, typical soil samples collected from various representative locations, are arranged along the hall way between Laboratory 1, 2 and 3.
| Soil samples arranged along the corridor. (click for a larger image) |