Submission of Agar Lawns for Picking

1. Colonies must be submitted on Bioassay trays (222mm X 222mm, Q-trays with lid, Genetix cat# X6021) or equivalent with exact dimensions.

2. Bioassay trays must be filled to achieve an agar thickness of 5 to 7mm (approximately 250 mLs of agar). If agar thickness is not in the optimal range, the automated colony picker will not be able to accurately identify colonies.

3. Agar should be smooth (without lumps) and level for the robot to efficiently pick colonies.

4. DO NOT ! Use Petri dishes or stamp colonies onto agar lawns.

5. Bioassay trays should contain an optimal colony density of 2000-3000 colonies; densities of 1000-1500 are acceptable, but not be higher than 5000 total colonies.

6. Colonies should not be > 2mm.

7. Indicate type media and antibiotics to use for plating.
The lid the bioassay tray must be free of condensation. Make sure the temperature of the plates has equilibrated to room temperature before packing. Plates should be packed in an insulated cooler, LID SIDE DOWN and the edges wrapped with parafilm. Place ice packs in the cooler, but not directly on the plates. Condensation from the ice packs can leak into the plates.