Chapter 52: Brand-new Experiment

The two of them took a detour to the laboratory.

Before finalizing the seed optimization plan and conducting the experiment, Lin Ke prepared to carry out targeted cultivation and screening of the silver star flower seeds.

The specific method is to use the new germination method to germinate the silver star flower seeds, then cultivate them conventionally; once the silver star flowers mature and drop seeds, select the qualified seeds from them and continue with the new germination and cultivation.

Repeat several rounds until the qualified seed rate reaches a point where it cannot be further improved.

At this point, the silver star flower seeds become truly ideal experimental material.

Doing this also serves to verify the positive effect of the new germination method on the qualified seed rate of the silver star flower seeds.

However, it is not as comprehensive as the third group experiment of the previous experimental plan (see Chapter 30).

Even after processing, the obtained data has some statistical significance, but lacking a control group, it has flaws in validity and reliability, making it unsuitable as a basis for a "paper".

"Mo Li, come help."

Lin Ke greeted Mo Li, carefully selected and pre‑treated the purchased silver star flower seeds, and removed all defective seeds that even slightly lacked vitality.

This is delicate work that requires patience.

"Okay~."

Mo Li replied sweetly, her tone rising and her ending drawn out.

After a little over an hour, the silver star flower seeds were finally all selected.

Having stored the selected seeds, Lin Ke next prepared a nutrient solution for the silver star flower seeds using the laboratory's own materials, according to the data.

Unlike the soil‑filled greenhouse simulation equipment, the laboratory's germination and cultivation method is soilless.

This requires preparing a specific nutrient solution.

Fortunately, Lin Ke had read the relevant materials and was not unfamiliar with it.

He first located the source of the relevant materials in the Hall of Thought, then retrieved the document with his Portable Smart Brain and handed it to Mo Li: "First look through this content to get a rough impression."

Mo Li immediately took the Portable Smart Brain and began reading it seriously.

Research assistants need to be thoroughly cultivated; they cannot be used merely as tools.

Otherwise, what's the point of having a research assistant when an intelligent puppet would be more fragrant?

Lin Ke endeavored to let Mo Li understand both the what and the why of her current research and experiments.

Thus, Mo Li can grow and later provide Lin Ke with greater and more substantial help.

Speaking of which, it's worth pondering that, just like in the Library, the Portable Smart Brain can access the Advanced Literature Repository from the Experiment Building.

The Teaching Building and the dormitory cannot.

Other places, such as the Administration Building, Lin Ke has not yet tested, so he doesn't know the details.

However, the Office Smart Brains placed on office desks are certainly usable.

The Teaching Building is where textbook content and teachers' knowledge are studied, so it's understandable that no extracurricular learning is required.

Then, what about the dormitory?

Why, then, is it impossible to enter the Advanced Literature Repository?

Lin Ke temporarily doesn't know the reason, but he doesn't dwell on it.

When one needs to consult advanced literature, simply go to the Library or come to the Experiment Building; it's not troublesome.

By the time Mo Li finished reading the materials, Lin Ke had already completed the preliminary preparations for configuring the nutrient solution.

He gestured for Mo Li to take over the nutrient solution preparation, linking theory with practice.

Lin Ke then began, according to the manual, to explore the usage methods of each piece of equipment in the Botany Lab.

After some exploration and comparison, Lin Ke successfully mastered the equipment's operation.

Once the nutrient solution was ready, Lin Ke set parameters such as air humidity, illumination duration and intensity, while explaining why they were set that way and how the equipment is operated.

Teaching and learning complement each other.

The nutrient solution needs to stand for a while, so germination can only begin the next morning.

After all parameters were set, the two didn't linger and left the laboratory.

Because the afternoon class was a practical session of Human Biology, the two didn't leave the Experiment Building, merely going up from the third basement level to the fourth floor.

At this moment, with some time left before class, Lin Ke took out paper and pen and wrote down some information that a research assistant ought to know beforehand.

Mainly the ways to enter and navigate between the Advanced Literature Repository, the "Paper" page, and the "Patent" page.

As for knowledge concerning the research system, methodology, experimental‑plan design and writing, Lin Ke has already found some materials and is studying and organizing them.

Since the materials are scattered and not systematic, he does not rush to inform Mo Li, lest omissions occur.

After all, the experiment isn't urgent; it can proceed slowly.

In the process of advancement, Lin Ke can bring Mo Li along to gradually learn the research system of the Wizard World's civilization.

Having handed the written notes to Mo Li, Lin Ke continued to design the experimental plan.

Thanks to the Brain Seal Technique, plus the help of the Hall of Thought, Lin Ke recalled some high‑school biology knowledge from his previous life.

As is well known, breeding mainly has the following methods:

One, mutagenic breeding, whose principle is gene mutation;

Two, hybrid breeding, whose principle is gene recombination;

Three, polyploid breeding, whose principle is chromosome variation;

Four, haploid breeding, whose principle is chromosome variation;

Five, genetic engineering breeding (transgenic breeding), whose principle is gene recombination;

Six, cellular engineering breeding;

Seven, plant hormone breeding.

Lin Ke will not rely too heavily on his prior‑life knowledge, nor will he slight the wisdom crystallized by countless predecessors.

This knowledge may not be wholly applicable to the Wizard World, but it can still be useful, for instance by stimulating thought.

Combining what he had learned and the data and literature he had reviewed, inspired by "Pomona Sprout's botanical talent", Lin Ke thought that mutagenesis breeding and hybrid breeding were more suitable for optimizing silver star flower seeds.

Considering his limited knowledge and also considering economic conditions, Lin Ke finally settled on hybrid breeding as the experimental method for the first-phase experiment.

If the experimental results meet expectations, then the first-phase experiment will become the only experiment.

Optimizing the silver star flower seeds, although partly due to Lin Ke's own will, was mainly to report back to Paro Wizard, proving that Lin Ke had not wasted such an advanced laboratory for a wizard apprentice.

If the experimental results fall short of or do not meet expectations, then a second-phase experiment can be considered, changing the experimental method.

Hybrid breeding: its principle is genetic recombination, its method is continuous self‑pollination, continually selecting seeds (crossing different individuals to produce offspring, then continuously self‑pollinating, screening for the desired homozygotes).

Genetic recombination refers to the free assortment of non‑allelic genes on non‑homologous chromosomes, producing new genotypes.

The botany course also has the concepts of "gene", "chromosome", "sexual reproduction", and "meiosis", only the wording is slightly different.

After translation, they became consistent.

The overall direction has been set; next we need to fill in the details, such as conducting intra‑varietal hybridization, inter‑varietal hybridization, interspecific hybridization, or introgressive hybridization.

This is not something that can be done overnight; it requires painstaking work to produce fine results.

Coincidentally, several rounds of cultivation and screening of the silver star flower seeds also require a longer period of time.

Lin Ke has both the time and the patience.

(End of chapter)