Thanks for this new info. Have you gone to their website to watch a video?

I went online to watch one of their videos: https://www.labtie.com/seed-dispenser

To me, the most attractive and useful part of this tool is that they can dispense the seeds very nicely on a medium plate with very little time, which we usually spend a lot of time to complete in the lab. However, they used non-sterilized dry seeds. How can we dispense sterilized seeds (wet) using these tools?? Most of the time, we need sterilized seeds on plates for selection. You may need to ask them about this before you buy it.

Thanks for your answer. This is my worries also. So I think we will keep plating seeds by hand!

We use these dispensers and perform the following protocol when sterilizing:

The seed dispenser is sterilized with 70% EtOH and air dried in a laminar flow cabinet for a few minutes until dry.

we sterilize our seeds in the same manner or by using a gas sterilization method.

When the seeds and the dispenser are sterile and dry, the seeds dispenser can be used with ease.

No contamination will occur after sterilizing, not even when using high sugar/carbon MS agar to grow Arabidopsis seeds.

@ Marijke,

Thanks for your response.

I guess that if the dispenser is sterilized and seeds are sterilized with Cl2 gas, then it should be ok to use the dispenser without contamination. However, most labs use 70% ethanol and bleach to sterilize seeds. And, once the seeds are sterilized with ethanol/bleach, they will be wet and stick together. How can you use the dispenser? Unless, you completely dry the seeds before using the dispenser.

@ Yuan, sorry for my late response.

You are right with Chlorine sterilization there is no issue and with liquid sterilization it takes 1 extra step.

With 70% ethanol and Bleach, we sterilize the seeds in a laminar flow hood, and let the seeds dry to the air on blot paper. In my experience the seeds dry within a few minutes. A few seeds still stick together but after dropping them on the mesh plate they will break apart resulting in single and dry seeds to be dispensed.

In my opinion, this dispenser saves so much time that waiting a few minutes for seeds to dry is totally worth it. 

Hello. Thanks for your answers Marijke.

My worries is that we plate many different lines at once. So I wonder how are you sure you don't cross contaminate your plate with seeds of the different lines. And do you have to sterilise the dispenser between two plates?

@  Marijke,

Thanks for your response.

@ Helene,

I think that accidental seed contamination between different lines should not be a big issue, as long as one can make sure there is no seeds retain on the screen between each plating.

Crosscontamination is not an issue anymore. They just introduced new meshplates out of anodized aluminium and they even coat the bucket 'collecting the seeds' with a tantalium coating. making sure there is no static charge that could leave a sead behind.

Using various arabidopsis lines works great