App workflows
Batch Tracker
The Batch Tracker is a production-focused view of your explant records. Every row is an explant — the Batch Tracker just surfaces the fields most relevant to bench-scale production: vessel counts, operator, subculture timing, and media.
What is a batch?
In xPlant a batch is an explant record that carries production context — a plant code, batch code, vessel count, operator name, and subculture date. There is no separate batch object; the Batch Tracker is a filtered, column-optimised view of your explants table that shows these fields prominently.
This means everything you already do with explants — logging transfers, advancing stages, linking media recipes, adding contamination notes — applies equally to batches. The Batch Tracker just makes the production numbers easier to scan across many cultures at once.
What the columns mean
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Plant Code | The identifier for the source plant — pulled from the plant record or your original spreadsheet import. |
| Batch | The batch or jar code that identifies this specific set of vessels. |
| Plant Name | Common or scientific name of the parent plant. Links to the full plant record. |
| Stage | The current tissue culture stage (Initiation, Multiplication, Rooting, etc.). |
| Media | The media recipe associated with this batch. Set by linking a recipe on the explant's Recipes & SOPs tab. |
| 1st Cultured | The date this batch was first initiated — when the explant record was created. |
| Subcultured | The date of the most recent transfer. Updated automatically each time a transfer is logged. |
| Cultured By | The operator who cultured the batch. Set from the user who created the record, or entered manually during import. |
| Count | Number of active vessels. Shows the delta vs the initial vessel count in small text. |
| Status | Active, Quarantined, Retired, or Lost — pulled from the explant status. |
How to create a batch
There are three paths depending on where your data lives:
Create an explant directly
Go to Dashboard → Explants → New explant. Fill in the plant, stage, and batch fields (plant code, batch code, vessel count, operator). This explant will appear in the Batch Tracker immediately.
Import from a spreadsheet
Go to Dashboard → Batch Tracker → Import. Upload a CSV and map the columns to xPlant fields. Useful for moving an existing Plants in Jars spreadsheet into structured records in one step.
Split an existing batch via transfer
When you divide one vessel into multiple daughter vessels at the bench, log a transfer from the source explant. Create a new explant record for each daughter vessel and link the transfer. Each becomes its own row in the Batch Tracker.
Associating a media recipe
Each batch can show the media recipe it was grown on. To associate one:
- 1Open the explant record from the Batch Tracker by clicking the plant name or the edit icon.
- 2Go to the Recipes & SOPs tab on the explant detail page.
- 3Click Link media recipe and search for the recipe by name.
- 4Save. The recipe title will now appear in the Media column of the Batch Tracker.
If a batch has more than one recipe linked (e.g. initiation media and a hormone supplement), the Batch Tracker shows the first recipe and a +N count. Open the explant record to see all linked recipes.
Subculture date — how it works
How is the Subcultured date set?
Automatically from the most recent transfer you log for that batch. When you record a transfer on an explant, the Subcultured date updates to match the transfer date you entered.
What if I subcultured without logging a transfer?
Log a transfer now and set the transfer date to when it actually happened. xPlant records who entered the log separately from the bench date, so retrospective entries are fine.
Can I set subcultured date manually?
The column is derived from transfer history and cannot be edited directly. Log the transfer to update it — this keeps subculture dates traceable to a specific bench session.
Batch Tracker vs Explants view
| Batch Tracker | Explants view |
|---|---|
| Optimised for production scanning — counts, dates, operators | Shows all explant metadata including stage history and type |
| Sorts by subculture date so overdue cultures surface first | Sorts and filters by status, plant, and stage |
| Displays plant code and batch code from import/spreadsheet | Shows the generated label and internal id |
| One row per vessel group (explant record) | One row per explant with full detail access |
Use both views — the Batch Tracker for daily production checks, and the Explants view when you need the full record history.