PlantDB - a versatile database for managing plant research

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Genetics
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Plant research necessitates managing numerous plant species, cultivars, ecotypes, mutants, alleles, and transgenic lines.
• Maintaining accurate records of experimental plant identity and stored samples (e.g., seeds) presents a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce PlantDB, a user-friendly database system for managing experimental plant information.
• To provide a solution for tracking diverse plant genetic materials and associated data.

Main Methods:

• Development of PlantDB using Microsoft Office Access with a user-friendly front-end.
• Implementation of a concise identifier system for generating plant pedigrees.
• Integration of comprehensive data fields including growth conditions, sample information (e.g., RNA), and image files.

Main Results:

• PlantDB effectively manages information for plants of various species, cultivars, and genetic backgrounds.
• The identifier system facilitates straightforward generation of pedigree trees.
• All experimental plant data, from cultivation to sample analysis and imaging, can be unequivocally linked within the database.

Conclusions:

• PlantDB has been successfully utilized for several years in laboratory settings.
• The database significantly improves access to and management of relevant information for experimental plants.