Analysis of morphological characteristics of Solanum chrysotrichum cell suspension cultures

Cell size distribution of Solanum chrysotrichum cell suspension cultures was determined using mechanical sieving and an image analysis system. The results were compared using the sieve size (<0.25, 0.25-0.50, 0.5-1.0 and >1.00 mm) as the criterion. Mechanical sieving as well as image analysis showed that S. chrysotrichum cultures developed in shake flasks present a similar tendency to increase in aggregate size as growth persists. However, there are considerable differences in the values of each fraction. Fractions obtained by mechanical sieving were characterized by image analysis demonstrating that an inefficient separation of the cell population exists. The results demonstrate that digital image analysis was more precise than mechanical sieving to describe the cell size distribution changes occurring during cell growth. It was also possible to achieve a total characterization of S. chrysotrichum morphology.