Scalable, Flexible, and Cost-Effective Seedling Grafting

Summary

This protocol describes a robust seedling grafting method that requires no prior experience or training and can be executed at a very low cost using materials easily accessible in most molecular biology labs.

Abstract

Early-stage seedling grafting has become a popular tool in molecular genetics to study root-shoot relationships within plants. Grafting early-stage seedlings of the small model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, is technically challenging and time consuming due to the size and fragility of its seedlings. A growing collection of published methods describe this technique with varying success rates, difficulty, and associated costs. This paper describes a simple procedure to make an in-house reusable grafting device using silicone elastomer mix, and how to use this device for seedling grafting. At the time of this publication, each reusable grafting device costs only $0.47 in consumable materials to produce. Using this method, beginners can have their first successfully grafted seedlings in less than 3 weeks from start to finish. This highly accessible procedure will allow plant molecular genetics labs to establish seedling grafting as a normal part of their experimental process. Due to the full control users have in the creation and design of these grafting devices, this technique could be easily adjusted for use in larger plants, such as tomato or tobacco, if desired.

Introduction

Grafting is an ancient horticultural technique that became an established agricultural practice by 500 BCE¹. Grafting different varieties of crop plants to improve yields was the first use of this technique, and continues to be used for this purpose today. In the past decade, grafting has attracted an increasing amount of attention as a tool for molecular biologists to study long-distance signaling in plants^2,3,4,5. While grafting adult plants is relatively easy, grafting plants soon after germination is challenging. ....

Protocol

1. Device preparation

1. Make the silicone grafting device by casting silicone elastomer solution in a square Petri dish (100 mm x 100 mm). Prepare 15 mL of the elastomer solution, following the manufacturer's guidelines.
   NOTE: Silicone elastomer kits typically include a silicone-based liquid and a curing agent, that when mixed together allow the silicone to solidify.
2. Prepare the square Petri dish by laying four straight pieces of 29 G wire in the square Petri dish, equidistant from one another (Figure 1A). Ensure that the wire lies flush with the bottom of the mold. To fully straighten the wire, roll it ....

Results

Various aspects of the grafting strip's design were tested to identify the optimal grafting conditions that required the least amount of technical skill (Table 1). All grafting trials were completed on 0.5% sucrose MS medium, which has been previously reported to be an ideal grafting medium^11,12.

Optimal seedling growth cannot be achieved with on-strip germination
In the first iteration of the sili.......

Discussion

Summary and significance
Formation of a graft union is crucial for successful grafting, which requires direct and undisturbed contact between the rootstock and scion. The miniature size and fragility of seedlings of small plants such as Arabidopsis makes it technically challenging to meet this requirement. One technique developed in early Arabidopsis seedling grafting methods was to insert both the scion and the rootstock into a short silicone tubing collar to support the graft ju.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
15 mL conical tubes	VWR International Inc	10026-076
ACETONE (HPLC & ACS Certified Solvent) 4 L	VWR	BJAH010-4
BactoAgar	Sigma	A1296-500g
Dow SYLGARD 184 Silicone Encapsulant Clear 0.5 kg Kit	Dow	2646340
D-Sucrose (Molecular Biology), 1 kg	Fisher Scientific	BP220-1
Eppendorf Snap-Cap Microcentrifuge Flex-Tube Tubes (1.5 mL), pack of 500	Fisher Scientific	20901-551 / 05-402
Fisherbrand High Precision #4 Style Scalpel Handle	Fisher Scientific	12-000-164
Fisherbrand Lead-Free Autoclave Tape	Fisher Scientific	15-901-111
Fisherbrand square petri dishes	Fisher Scientific	FB0875711A
Leica Zoom 2000 Stereo Microscope	Microscope Central	L-Z2000
Micropore Tape	3M	B0082A9FEM
Murashige and Skoog Basal Medium	Sigma	M5519-10L
Parafilm	Genesee Scientific	16-101
potassium hydroxide	VWR International Inc	AA13451-36
Redi-earth Plug and Seedling Mix	Sun Gro Horticulture	SUN239274728CFLP
Scotts Osmocote Plus	Hummert International	7630600
Surgical Design No. 22 Carbon Scalpel Blade	Fisher Scientific	22-079-697
Tween 20, 500 mL	Fisher Scientific	BP337500
TWEEZER DUMONT STYL55 DUMOXEL POLS 110 MM	VWR	102091-580