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 |  Cotton Greenhouse: Plants which pass all tests in the plant growth chambers are brought up to one of the twenty-six greenhouses (two acres total area) atop the Plant Agricultural Research Building. Testing for protein expression, nutritional and biochemical characteristics continues. Plant breeders begin to test for physical appearance and agronomic traits. Seeds from plants which pass all greenhouse tests are taken to the field for field testing. Note developing cotton bolls and mature cotton plants in this sixth floor cotton greenhouse. |
|  Chesterfield Tour: The following Monsanto virtual tours are in iPIX® Movie - V360 format. iPIX is a complete view into any set or scene, most accurately described as a 360° x 360° view where you can navigate in any direction. |
|  Plant Tissue Culture Lab: In the plant tissue culture laboratory a single transformed cell containing gene of interest is "nursed" back to the whole plant level through a series of tissue culture stages. Plant tissue culture is conducted under sterile conditions (see sterile hood). Each time a plant cell replicates itself it replicates its chromosome material including the gene of interest. By carefully monitoring the levels of plant hormones present, it is possible to "nurse" a single transformed cell back to the whole plant level (see magnified cotton plant) at which point each plant cell will contain the gene of interest. |
|  Wheat Growth Chamber: Within a plant growth room it is possible to simulate any growing environment (cool season shown here). Plants from the tissue culture laboratory are brought into plant growth rooms and allowed to get "big." Testing begins on determination of quantitative/qualitative expression of key protein(s) of interest plus 400 key biochemical and nutritional crop plant characteristics. Plants which do not pass these initial screening tests are removed from the development process. Plant growth rooms allow the growing of cool season plants such as wheat on a year round basis. |
|  Corn Greenhouse: Plants which pass all tests in the plant growth chambers are brought up to one of the twenty-six greenhouses (two acres total area) atop the Plant Agricultural Research Building. Testing for protein expression, nutritional and biochemical characteristics continues. Plant breeders begin to test for physical appearance and agronomic traits. Genes from corn tissue culture grown plants are being backcrossed into standard corn varieties in this sixth floor greenhouse. |
|  Soybean Greenhouse: Plants which pass all tests in the plant growth chambers are brought up to one of the twenty-six greenhouses (two acres total area) atop the Plant Agricultural Research Building. Testing for protein expression, nutritional and biochemical characteristics continues. Plant breeders begin to test for physical appearance and agronomic traits. Seeds from plants which pass all greenhouse tests are taken to the field for field testing. Beginning with 10,000 transformed plant cells containing the gene of interest, after testing, one, perhaps two cell lines, make it to the field for field testing. |
|  Gene Gun Lab: Genes physically inserted into plant cells by one of two methods: 1) Gene-gun, 2) Agrobacterium. The gene-gun method (shown here) uses very small gold or tungsten "pellets" onto which are "loaded" genes. Pellets are placed into a "shot-gun like" cartridge. Upon firing, the gene coated pellets are projected through plant cells. Genes are physically wiped off the pellets and incorporated into the plant chromosome material. Result: transformed plant cells containing gene of interest. |
|  Soybean Growth Chamber: Within a plant growth room it is possible to simulate any growing environment (warm season shown here). Plants from the tissue culture laboratory are brought into plant growth rooms and allowed to get "big". Testing begins on determination of quantitative/qualitative expression of key protein(s) of interest plus 400 key biochemical and nutritional crop plant characteristics. Plants which do not pass these initial screening tests are removed from the development process. Note presence of the "viewing window" in this chamber for unlimited visitor "access". |
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