facilities usually allow better control of temperature and light
than is offered by a greenhouse, hence their popularity among
Arabidopsis researchers. Growth rooms can be maintained
within 2–3
C of a set point, while greenhouse temperatures
may spike to higher deviations with rapid changes in sunlight,
unexpected hot days, etc.
29. The temperature setting may be higher, depending on the
outside environmental conditions and equipment specification.
During the high temperature treatment lights, fans, and cooling pads should be turned off and all vents closed.
30. Keep the plants spaced apart to allow good air circulation to
reduce the incidence of fungal contamination.
31. Maintain approximately 2 cm of water around base of pots
during germination, to avoid any soil drying before the first
true leaves begin expanding.
32. Once the plants have developed true leaves, allow for proper
drainage of the soil.
33. To determine if plants need water, check by the weight of the
pot. If the pot is noticeably heavy and the soil is moist and dark,
do not water. If the pot is very light and the soil appears light
brown in color, add enough water to cover the bottom of the
flat. After 10 min, drain off any remaining water in the flat.
Plants should not be over-watered to avoid development of
algae, fungi, fungus gnat larvae, and other pests that thrive on
overly wet soil. Algae can be manually scraped off and the soil
allowed to dry. As plants near senescence, watering should be
decreased and stopped once siliques/silicles are yellow.
34. Place several yellow or blue sticky cards (e.g., Pest Trap™) in
the growth area to monitor insect populations. Check the
sticky cards and plants for the presence of pests like thrips,
aphids, fungus gnats, and whiteflies.
35. On a weekly basis count the number of pests on the sticky card.
Change the cards after the pest count and especially after a
pesticide application. This will determine the order of entry for
growth spaces. Always enter the growth areas with the least
number of pests first to prevent the spread of the infestations.
36. Beneficial insects are a good alternative to the use of pesticides
to control pests. Beneficial insects can be a preventive measure
as well as a way to control and reduce pest populations. The
beneficial insects will feed on the pest. There are a wide range of
insects available (e.g., N. cucumeris and A. cucumeris mites for
western thrips, H. miles mites and ScanMask™ beneficial
nematodes for fungus gnats, and E. formosa parasitic wasp for
whiteflies).
20
Christopher Calhoun et al.
than is offered by a greenhouse, hence their popularity among
Arabidopsis researchers. Growth rooms can be maintained
within 2–3
C of a set point, while greenhouse temperatures
may spike to higher deviations with rapid changes in sunlight,
unexpected hot days, etc.
29. The temperature setting may be higher, depending on the
outside environmental conditions and equipment specification.
During the high temperature treatment lights, fans, and cooling pads should be turned off and all vents closed.
30. Keep the plants spaced apart to allow good air circulation to
reduce the incidence of fungal contamination.
31. Maintain approximately 2 cm of water around base of pots
during germination, to avoid any soil drying before the first
true leaves begin expanding.
32. Once the plants have developed true leaves, allow for proper
drainage of the soil.
33. To determine if plants need water, check by the weight of the
pot. If the pot is noticeably heavy and the soil is moist and dark,
do not water. If the pot is very light and the soil appears light
brown in color, add enough water to cover the bottom of the
flat. After 10 min, drain off any remaining water in the flat.
Plants should not be over-watered to avoid development of
algae, fungi, fungus gnat larvae, and other pests that thrive on
overly wet soil. Algae can be manually scraped off and the soil
allowed to dry. As plants near senescence, watering should be
decreased and stopped once siliques/silicles are yellow.
34. Place several yellow or blue sticky cards (e.g., Pest Trap™) in
the growth area to monitor insect populations. Check the
sticky cards and plants for the presence of pests like thrips,
aphids, fungus gnats, and whiteflies.
35. On a weekly basis count the number of pests on the sticky card.
Change the cards after the pest count and especially after a
pesticide application. This will determine the order of entry for
growth spaces. Always enter the growth areas with the least
number of pests first to prevent the spread of the infestations.
36. Beneficial insects are a good alternative to the use of pesticides
to control pests. Beneficial insects can be a preventive measure
as well as a way to control and reduce pest populations. The
beneficial insects will feed on the pest. There are a wide range of
insects available (e.g., N. cucumeris and A. cucumeris mites for
western thrips, H. miles mites and ScanMask™ beneficial
nematodes for fungus gnats, and E. formosa parasitic wasp for
whiteflies).
20
Christopher Calhoun et al.