Alkali Pre-treatment of Atriplex crassifolia

Alkali pre-treatment of Atriplex crassifolia was out using different concentrations of NaOH (1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5%) as the pre-treatment reagents. Oven dried substrates were taken in an amount of 5 g and mixed in 50 mL of NaOH solution with varying concentrations, using 100 mL air tight reagent bottles. The screw capped reagent bottles were subjected to a temperature of 121°C for a time period of 60 min in an autoclave. Pre-treated substrates were filtered and washed by distilled water twice to eliminate attached alkali and other components produced during the pre-treatment. The substrates were air-dried. The dried substrates were put in sterilized polythene zipper bags for further use (Binod et al., 2011 (link)).