Question

List the steps of preparation of the temporary mount of a leaf peel to observe stomata.

Answer 1

Hint: Stomata is the pore or an opening which is present on the surface of the leaves and on some stems, and they contain the kidney-shaped pair of cells called guard cells, which have an outer thin wall covering and inner thick wall covering which helps for the opening and closing of the stomata.

Complete answer:
In order to observe the stomata, the leaf peel should be mounted, and it is done in the following manner
Materials required for mounting includes,
- A plant, like bryophyllum.
- Needles and forceps, dropper.
- Watch the glass and glass slide.
- Coverslip, and the blotting paper.
- Safranin, glycerine, and compound microscope.

Procedure:
- A leaf is taken from the plant.
- The upper thin layer of the leaf is separate with the help of needles and the forceps.
- Now the obtained thin layer should be placed on the watch glass, and allow it to remain in the water, which is in the watch glass.
- Later the thin layer of the leaf part should be stained with Safranin with a dropper, a drop of stain should be dropped on that thin layer of the leaf part.
- Then after 2 to 3 minutes, the peel should be taken out of the watch glass and placed it on the clear glass slide.
- Now a drop of glycerine should be added on that peel, and the coverslip placed over it very gently with the help of a needle.
- Then any excess glycerine that is present should be removed by using blotting paper.
- So, finally, the prepared mount should be observed, first on the low power and later on the high power of the compound microscope.

Note: When a mounted peel is seen under a compound microscope, one can observe the viable epidermal cells, which are arranged and the openings which are Scattered on the epidermis, and the guard cells with chloroplast and the nucleus are seen, it mainly helps in respiration and transpiration.