21st Annual Student Research Conference
Assay Process Improvements: Incorporating Hand-held Computers into Recording Segregation Data and Using New Boxes for Tissue Sampling
Catherine A. Burke
Dr. Michael Seipel, Faculty Mentor
This research focused on sampling techniques used in plant breeding at a winter nursery site. Field trials were conducted to examine the efficiency of hand-held computers in recording segregation data and to investigate the effect of replacing Matrix boxes with Nunc boxes for leaf tissue sampling. Paired trials comparing use of field notebooks to hand-held computers showed that hand-held computers reduced data entry time by 3.5 hours for 5595 data points. Two timed trials compared the rate of tissue sample collection using Nunc boxes versus Matrix boxes. The trials revealed that Nunc boxes allowed increased sampling of .0175 boxes /minute /person whereas the Matrix boxes had .013 boxes /minute /person. When these numbers are projected it would allow 11,981 more samples to get done in one day if Nunc boxes were used with a crew of eighty people.
Keywords: Assay, Plant-Breeding, Hand-held computers, Tissue sampling
Topic(s):Agricultural Science
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 14-4
Location: VH 1432
Time: 10:30