Patent ID: 7807446

Claim:
A high throughput system for analyzing the effect of a liquid formulation on a plant specimen, the system comprising: a liquid formulation dispensing subsystem (LFDS), the LFDS comprising: an automated moveable sample plate platform for holding at least one sample plate including a plurality of wells and for sequentially positioning select ones of the wells at a well target location, a plurality of the wells having a plant specimen therein; a micro-sprayer assembly including at least one applicator operable to apply discrete amounts of a liquid formulation to the plant specimens within each selected well when the selected wells are positioned at the well target location; an automated movable liquid formulation platform for holding at least one vial rack having placed therein a plurality of row of vials, the platform operable to position a selected row of vials at a vial target location, a plurality of vials each containing a different liquid formulation; and a formulation withdrawal assembly including a valve assembly having a plurality of uptake probes extending from a bottom edge, the formulation withdrawal assembly operable to: insert each of the uptake probes into a respective one of the vials in the row of vials positioned at the vial target location; withdraw at least a portion of a selected one of the liquid formulations from a respective vial; and provide the withdrawn liquid formulation to the micro-sprayer assembly.