Practical class – Visualization of the plant epidermis – Educator

The analysis of plant epidermis often creates difficulties in the classroom, as paradermal anatomical sections can be quite complicated and require a lot of technique. Often, the cut is thick, making analysis difficult. Furthermore, sometimes the leaf blade is very thin, making cutting even more difficult.

In this text we will teach an epidermis printing technique that can be easily done by any teacher. The technique was published in 2004 in a work by SEGATOO et al., in which the authors demonstrated the efficiency of the methodology for analyzing anatomical characters of the potato leaf.

To take this class, you will need:

– Leaves of the plant you want to analyze;

– Universal instant adhesive (cyanoacrylate ester) – Super Bonder®;

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– Blade;

– Microscope;

First place a small drop of instant adhesive on the slide. Then place the part of the leaf you want to observe on the sticker. Wait approximately 10 seconds and remove the sheet.

Ready! You already have an impression of your leaf epidermis. Now just observe the material under the microscope.

Simple and low-cost, the technique makes it possible to assemble several blades quickly. Furthermore, packaging is simple and can be left in environmental conditions for more than a year.

Using this mold, you can show your students the structure of stomata, trichomes, as well as common epidermal cells. If possible, make a mold of several different plants, as this will allow you to observe different structures.

Good class!

​By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos