RITA®: automated temporary immersion system

An innovative system for plant in vitro culture

Despite the advantages of solid media for routine plant propagation, this method also presents limitations, including vitrification and physiological disorders such as asphyxia caused by residues in the medium. Temporary immersion helps reduce these issues.

The innovation developed through the RITA® system is based on a dual-compartment design, promoting close contact between the plant and the culture medium during immersion phases, combined with capillary retention of a thin film of medium during emersion phases. In addition, its design and dimensions make it easy to handle for users.

Development stage

RITA®: a system that facilitates in vitro culture

Compared with semi-solid or permanent immersion systems, the system co-developed by Vitropic and CIRAD :

• has been tested and validated on various tropical and temperate crops;
• provides improved plant nutrition and higher productivity in a shorter time;
• ensures tissue division during culture through aeration by bubbling;
• significantly reduces asphyxia and tissue vitrification;
• promotes complete renewal of the culture atmosphere at each immersion;
• allows control of morphological processes by adjusting immersion frequency and duration;
• limits the spread of potential contamination;
• ensures equipment protection through vent systems, contributing to longer service life;
• improves labour efficiency thanks to ease of handling of plants and media;
• allows individual handling.

A wide range of applications in in vitro culture

Scientifically validated, the system has been successfully applied to coffee micropropagation and somatic embryogenesis, rubber tree somatic embryo development, and potato microtuberisation. It has also demonstrated excellent results in comparative studies with semi-solid systems for eucalyptus clones.

It is recommended for all compagnies seeking efficient and optimised propagation of elite plant material. It is therefore intended for three main categories of stakeholders :

• seed and plant distributors;
• farmers and industrial plantations;
• consulting firms and R&D departments.

Vitropic teams also support pilot laboratories in the production of coffee and banana plants in tropical and Mediterranean regions, with a view to transferring know-how in in vitro culture and production. They remain available to collaborate with public or private research laboratories on joint projects.

For further information, please visit : https://www.vitropic.fr/

References and intellectual property

Patent

RITA® is a registered trademark.

Récipient pour la culture in vitro de matériel végétal en conditions stériles, par immersion temporaire. Etienne Hervé, Georget Frederic, Bertrand Benoît. 2014. Paris : INPI, 29 p. N° de dépôt : 1153642, N° de brevet : FR2974580 B1, N° de dépôt international : PCT/FR2012/050919, N° de brevet international : WO2012/146872 A1, N° de brevet : BR112013027846 A2, N° de brevet : MX2013012473 A

http://bases-brevets.inpi.fr/fr/document/FR2974580/publications.html?p=5&s=1505906879731&cHash=06d59b4e357f52f5f494349eb38eee2a&tx_jsearchrest_documentsearchrest%5BselectedDocumentRow%5D=2

Publications

D. Alvard, F. Cote, C. Teisson, 1993. Comparison of methods of liquid medium culture for banana micropropagation. Plant Cell Tiss. Org. Cult.32:55-60

J.-V. Escalant, C. Teisson, F. Cote, 1994. Amplified somatic embryogenesis from male flowers of triploid banana and plantain cultivars (Musa sp.). In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. 30:181-186

C. Teisson, D. Alvard, 1994, A new concept of plant in vitro cultivation in liquid medium : temporary immersion. In : VIIIth International Congress of Plant Tissue and Cell Culture (pp S2-2) Abstract

M. Berthouly, M. Dufour, D. Alvard, C. Carasco, L. Alemanno, C. Teisson, 1995 Coffee micropropagation in liquid medium using temporary immersion technique, ASIC, Kyoto, VolII: 514-519C.

C. Teisson, D. Alvard, M. Berthouly, F. Cote, J.-V. Escalant, H. Etienne, 1996, New apparatus for culturing plant tissues by temporary immersion, International Symposium on Plant Production in Closed Ecosystems, Narita, A 1-3

Cabasson, D. Alvard, D. Dambier, P. Ollitrault, C. Teisson, 1997. Improvement of Citrus somatic embryo development by temporary immersion. Plant Cell Tiss. Org. Cult.0:1-5

H. Etienne, B. Bertrand, F. Anthony, F. Cote, M. Berthouly, 1997, L'embryogénèse somatique, un outil pour l'amélioration génétique du caféier, ASIC, Nairobi

H. Etienne, M. Lartaud, N. Michaux-Ferrière, M.-P. Carron, M. Berthouly, C. Teisson, 1997, Improvement of somatic embryogenesis in Hevea Brasiliensis (Müll.Arg) using the temporary immersion technique, In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. 33:81-87

C. Teisson, D. Alvard, 1998, In vitro propagation of potato microtubers in liquid medium using temporary immersion, Conf. Potato seed production by tissue culture, Brussels, Cost 822, European Commission

C. Teisson, D. Alvard, M. Lartaud, H. Etienne, M. Berthouly, M. Escalona, J.-C. Lorenzo, 1998, Temporary immersion for tissue culture, IXth International Congress of Plant Tissue and Cell Culture, Jerusalem