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VOL. 10, ISSUE 4 (2025)
Visualizing plant mitochondria
Authors
Janaki Subramanyan, Kumari Amya, Shreya Singh
Abstract
Mitochondria are difficult to observe because of the small size and
lack of pigments. The size of mitochondria resembles that of bacteria.
Moreover, plant cells have a cell wall which hinders with the rapid uptake of
stains. In the present study the techniques of histological staining and light
microscopy have been used to visualize and localize mitochondria. The
smartphone camera has been used to take photographs, and the laptop has been
used to suitably magnify the photographs by zooming to discern the fine details
of cell structure. Supravital staining by Janus green B, and staining with
methylene blue gave best results. Leaves of Allium fistulosum and Crinum
asiaticum were the experimental materials chosen for preparing epidermal
peels. Mitochondria could be observed in the cytoplasm and in the region around
the nucleus in the epidermal cells. The guard cells of stomata showed abundant
mitochondria. Our work is in agreement with the previous reports on
mitochondria, and emphasizes the importance of the use of smartphones in
teaching-learning to understand cell structure.
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Pages:58-63
How to cite this article:
Janaki Subramanyan, Kumari Amya, Shreya Singh "Visualizing plant mitochondria". International Journal of Botany Studies, Vol 10, Issue 4, 2025, Pages 58-63
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