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Design of experiments (DOE)—history, concepts, and relevance to in vitro culture

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Abstract

Design of experiments (DOE) is a large and well-developed field for understanding and improving the performance of complex systems. Because in vitro culture systems are complex and easily manipulated in controlled conditions, they are particularly well-suited for the application of DOE principles and techniques. Successful use of in vitro technologies in horticultural, plant breeding, or genetic applications typically involves improving some aspect of a system’s growth response—organogenesis, somatic embryogenesis, metabolite biosynthesis, or responses required for crop improvement such as ploidy manipulation, embryo rescue, creation and manipulation of chimeras, somaclonal variation, and mutant isolation. How and why DOE is the appropriate research approach for developing and understanding in vitro systems research is explained. The presentation is a narrative of the historical context and the geometric basis of DOE to explain the underlying concepts. Examples illustrate the use of DOE in in vitro plant culture research.

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  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, 2001 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce, FL, USA

    Randall P. Niedz & Terence J. Evens

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  1. Randall P. Niedz
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  2. Terence J. Evens
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Correspondence to Randall P. Niedz.

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Niedz, R.P., Evens, T.J. Design of experiments (DOE)—history, concepts, and relevance to in vitro culture. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 52, 547–562 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-016-9786-1

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