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Image 02-10-12
The above image shows the conditions present for the mites, both for the mite tent and within the house, which has a relative humidity level that varies somewhere between 50 and 60 percent and a temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The mite tent (situated above a heater vent), being an air-tight vessel, has a relative humidity level that varies right now between 80 and 90 percent, depending upon temperature, 80 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. From experience those plants which are in the conditions presented by the house will have rapid damage to their tissues from these mites, requiring a cycle of treatment, which for me this year has been every fourth day with a solution of insecticidal soap. This treatment is in comparison to what has been going in the mite tent where the "confounds" have been working upon the mites, which although doing a fairly good job, the mites still have done some damage and continue to appear to affect those parts most elevated and away from the small spider, one of the confounds. The small bag on the floor contains a hydrated mix for African violets and so far it appears to remain free of any contaminates and on the 14th will have been in the bag one month.
Image 02-09-12
The greenhouse presents a humidity level that varies too, mid-day about 81 percent and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which at night goes down to the low 40s and has higher humidity levels as a result. These two, now bare, plants are adult tissue cultured plants, one of which was the very same in the image below which came from the host donor plant in the mite tent. They are surrounded by the other adult red shell offspring. The red shell offspring donor plant currently in the mite tent provided for not just the below, but other tissues were cultured and provided a great deal of insight into how tissue degenerates over time while in culture. Most of the tissue cultured plants which are ex vitro have been maintained in gallon sized pots which has restrained their growth somewhat, in addition to the various maladies which have afflicted them too every winter, so this past fall these two got potted up and hopefully will get bigger quicker and bloom, as all maladies have been avoided this year, at least so far. As the plant in the mite tent is a rooted cutting of the sickly red shell offspring which perished a few years ago, I haven't seen a bloom from it, for obvious reasons, although have seen the ones from the other three siblings, and am excited to finally see what the sickly one looks like.
Image 10-21-04
Some of the first adult tissue cultured explant tissue, which for then, one explant provided for one plant, on that medium presented in the 2005 paper. The mix currently used is an entirely different story and so far the adult common yellow tissue continues to replicate at a steady pace. The red shell offspring adult explant tissue did not last long in culture on the new mix and "piddled out". This climate (similar to the mite tent) is what is present in a tissue culture vessel, which if it isn't sealed with parafilm or something along those lines will have a gas exchange between the atmosphere inside the culture vessel and the outside air, based upon temperature and relative humidity changes. From experience this can draw in contaminates and is why I always use parafilm, covered by clear tape, which allows for multiple year storage of tissues.