Measuring Immune-Induced Inhibition of Seedling Growth

At four days post-termination, load each well of a 48-well plate with 500 microliters of MS medium supplemented with a dilution of elicitor peptide. Next, use sterile forceps to carefully transplant six to eight seedlings of the same size, age, and genotype to each peptide dilution, taking care that there is no damage to the seedling or breakage to the root and that the root is submerged in medium.

When all of the seedlings have been plated, seal the plates with micropore tape, and place the plants under standard short-day conditions for eight to 12 days. To determine the percent growth inhibition, take a photo to visually record the growth inhibition before carefully removing the seedlings from each well. Then, dab the roots on a paper towel to dry, and weigh each seedling on an analytical scale.