Typical working concentration: 1.5-2.5 g/L in plant tissue culture media; up to 10 g/L in microbiological media. Phytagel^™ requires the presence of cations (especially divalent) for gelling to occur. Concentrations of calcium and magnesium contained in most plant tissue culture media are typically sufficient for gelation. Low-salt media formulations, especially those used in microbiological applications, may require supplementation with additional calcium or magnesium salts (e.g., CaCl₂ or MgSO₄) or higher concentrations of Phytagel.

Phytagel^™ has been used:

• in the solidification of culture medium for root assays in Arabidopsis thaliana
• as a component of Solid Paul′s medium for Agrobacterium culture
• as a component of root induction medium in Ilex dumosa tissue culture

Phytagel is intended for use in place of agar and other gelling agent for plant tissue culture. Phytagel has been shown to be a superior substitute for tissue-culture-grade agar in the micropropagation of banana plantlets.

An agar substitute produced from a bacterial fermentation composed of glucuronic acid, rhamnose and glucose. It produces a clear, colorless, high strength gel which aids in detection of microbial contamination.

To prevent clumping, add slowly to rapidly stirring medium prior to heating.

Phytagel is a trademark of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC