Improve your breeding program!

Plant chromosome doubling (ploidy conversion) is one of the most powerful tools available to modern plant breeders. By increasing a plant's chromosome count, breeders can create new breeding opportunities that would otherwise be impossible.

Our proprietary ploidy conversion services help breeders:

  • Produce tetraploid (4N) breeding stock

  • Restore fertility to breeding lines

  • Create sterile breeding lines when desired

  • Develop larger, more vigorous plants

  • Increase flower size, substance, and overall plant quality

  • Expand future hybridization possibilities

Many of today's most successful ornamental plants—and even seedless watermelons—owe their existence to chromosome manipulation.

Whether you're working with a unique clone or the next generation of seedlings, we can attempt chromosome doubling using professional laboratory techniques.

Quick Price List:

  • Seedling Conversion: $95 per treated mother flask

  • Genomic Reactor™: $195 per established plant

  • Ploidy Assessment Services: $285 per material

Genomic Reactor™

$195 per established plant.

Our proprietary Genomic Reactor™ process treats actively growing plants in an effort to double their chromosome count.

Requirements:

  • Healthy, actively growing plant

  • Must have an active growth point

  • Rooted specimen

  • Size limitations apply

Your plant remains in our laboratory for approximately two weeks before being returned.

Ideal for:

  • Valuable breeding plants

  • Rare clones

  • Parent stock

  • Plants that cannot easily be remade from seed

Seedling Conversion

$100 per mother

The highest-throughput option for breeding programs.

Rather than treating mature plants, we germinate seedlings and initiate chromosome conversion while the plants are still young and rapidly dividing.

Early treatment often allows many seedlings to be processed simultaneously, making this the preferred option for breeders working with large populations.

Ideal for:

  • Hybrid crosses

  • Large breeding populations

  • Future tetraploid (2N) hexaploid (6N) breeding stock

  • Evaluating multiple converted individuals

Understanding Success Rates

Ploidy conversion is an advanced biological process. While our laboratory follows proven protocols and proprietary techniques, living plants respond differently to treatment, and success cannot be guaranteed.

Typical success rates are:

Service Expected Conversion Rates

  • Genomic Reactor™ - Approximately 25–50%

  • Seedling Conversion - Approximately 50–90%

Actual results vary by species, genetics, plant health, developmental stage, and other biological factors.

Our fee covers the laboratory work, materials, and professional attempt to induce chromosome doubling. Because biological outcomes cannot be guaranteed, payment is for the service performed rather than a guaranteed successful conversion.

We strongly recommend treating multiple plants or seedlings whenever possible to maximize the likelihood of obtaining converted individuals.

For greater certainty of conversion rates, see the Ploidy Assessment Service

Flow Cytometry Ploidy Verification

$285

Confirm the results of your Seedling Ploidy Conversion project with professional third-party flow cytometry analysis.

Flow cytometry is the industry standard for determining plant ploidy. The technique measures the DNA content of thousands of individual cell nuclei and compares the results to a known control sample to determine whether chromosome doubling has occurred.

This service is ideal for breeders wishing to confirm successful chromosome doubling and identify the most promising breeding stock.

Eligibility

This service is available for seedlings produced through Standard Orchid's Seedling Ploidy Conversion Service.

To ensure meaningful results:

  • The seedling conversion process must have been completed successfully.

  • The laboratory culture must have remained contamination-free through treatment.

  • A suitable untreated control from the same breeding line must be available for comparison.

What's Included

  • Selection of one untreated control sample

  • Selection of four treated seedlings for analysis

  • Sample preparation and submission

  • Overnight shipping on ice to an independent flow cytometry laboratory

  • Coordination of laboratory testing

  • Delivery of the completed laboratory report with analysis

Your Laboratory Report Includes

  • DNA content analysis by flow cytometry

  • Fluorescence histograms

  • Comparison of treated and untreated samples

  • Estimated ploidy level (for example, 2N, 4N, or 6N)

  • Professional interpretation of the results and how to leverage these findings in your breeding program.

Flow cytometry is widely regarded as the gold standard for confirming polyploid induction and evaluating breeding material.

Ploidy Conversion