6.

LIFE PROCESSES

Exper+ment 6
AIM

Preparing a temporary mount of a leaf peel to show stomata.

MATERIALS REQUIRED
1. Canna or lily leaf* 2. Slide 3. Cover
slip 4. Petri dish 5. Water 6. Glycerine
Leaf peel Leaf peel pieces
7. Safranin 8. Scissors or blade
-Petri dish
9. Forceps 10. Dropper 11.
Microscope
12. Brush (painting) 13. Filter -Water
paper.
These leaves are ribbon-like long (C)
leaves. They give good leaf peel.
Any -Coverslip
other leaf, eg., Tradescantia can also (B) Folding of leaf
Slide
and pulling apart
be used.
eat peel mount
(D)
PROCEDURE
>Leaf cells
1. Take a Canna or lily leaf.
Simply
fold it in the centre. It breaks into
Guard cells
two pieces.
2. Now gently pull one leaf (A) Canna or lily leaf
piece.
You will get a transparent leaf Stomata
peel. (You may not get it in one go.
Repeatedly, you should try for it.)
(E)
3. Take the leaf peel of lower Fig. 6.1 Temporary mount of Canna leaf peel as seen
epidermis and cut it with scissors under the microscope
or a blade into small
pieces.
Transfer these pieces with the help of paintbrush into a petri dish containing water. (Do not keep them without
water. They will dry.)
4. Select a piece of leaf peel and transfer it into another watch glass containing dilute solution of safranin
5. With the help of
(a red stain).
paintbrush transfer specimen back into first water containing petri dish/watch glass to remove
excess of stain.
6. Transfer specimen to slide with the help of brush.
7. Now put a drop of glycerine on the peel and cover it
carefully with a cover slip by using needle to avoid air bubbles.
Remove excess glycerine with help of a filter paper.
8. Observe the leaf peel under low power (10X) of microscope.
9. For inner detail change to high power (45X) of
microscope.
Stomata
OBSERVATIONIIIIII
1. A horizontal row of cells is seen. Nucleus
2. The cells may be
irregular or rectangular in shape, depending upon EEpidermal
the leaf used for leaf
peeling. Guard
cell
3. At certain
places stomata are seen. cell A) (B)
4. Stomata consist of two Stomata open Stomata closed
guard cells.
5. The central Fig. 6.2 Stomatal apparatus
pore/aperture is called stoma.
Science Lab Skills-X 53
 6. Inner wall of
guard cell is thicker than the outer wall.
7. Each guard cell has nucleus and many
a
chloroplasts.
8. Stoma of stomata in some stomata are open (open stomata) and in some the stoma is closed (closed stomatsl
ta).
RESULT

Leaf peel has stomata distributed in it.

PRECAUTIONSE
1. The peel should be smal.
2. The peel should not be allowed to dry.
3. There should be no air bubbles in the slide.
4. Avoid overstaining of the material.
5. The slide should not be
dirty.
6. Ask your teacher to focus the slide.