Method for assessing the viability of plant tissue using a colorimetric reagent
OwnerColin William George Templeton, Stephen John Colomboinventors
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Abstract
A method of assessing the condition of a fruit, vegetable, plant, or flower is provided. The method includes maintaining the fruit etc. in a substantially gas tight enclosure to trap gases produced by the fruit etc. A sample of the trapped gases is removed and the concentration of at least one volatile gas in the sample is measured by contacting the sample with a colorimetric reagent that changes colour on contact with the volatile gas. The condition of the fruit etc. is assessed on the basis of the colour change of the colorimetric reagent.
Claims17
A method of assessing whether a fruit, vegetable, plant, or flower has stress-induced damage, comprising the steps of:
- (a) maintaining a fruit, vegetable, plant, or flower in isolation in a substantially gas tight enclosure to trap gases evolved from the fruit, vegetable, plant or flower;
- (b) measuring a concentration of at least one volatile gas in the trapped gases by contacting the trapped gases with a colorimetric reagent that changes colour on contact with the volatile gas to be measured and;
- (c) assessing whether the fruit, vegetable, plant, or flower has stress-induced damage by comparing the concentration of volatile gas to control concentrations of the volatile gas obtained from at least one control sample having known stress-induced damage or no damage.
A method of assessing viability or condition of plant tissue, comprising the steps of;
- maintaining plant tissue in isolation in a substantially gas tight enclosure to trap gases evolved from the plant tissue;
- removing a sample of the trapped gases;
- measuring a concentration of at least one volatile gas in the sample by contacting the sample with a colorimetric reagent that changes colour on contact with the volatile gas;
- and
- assessing viability of the plant tissue by comparing the colour change of the colorimetric reagent to a known standard.
A method of assessing viability of a seedling sample of a genus, species or cultivar of plant, comprising the steps of:
- (a) maintaining the seedling sample in isolation in a substantially gas tight enclosure to trap gases evolved from the seedling sample;
- (b) measuring a concentration of at least one volatile gas in the trapped gases by contacting the trapped gases with a colorimetric reagent that changes colour on contact with the volatile gas to be measured;
- and
- (c) assessing viability of the seedling by comparing the concentration of volatile gas to control concentrations of the volatile gas obtained from at least one control seedling sample of known viability.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.