Preparation of Cell Suspensions from Plant Roots for Cytological Studies

Abstract

A CONSIDERABLE amount of microscope work involved in cytological studies of plant roots can be obviated by the preparation of a cell suspension from a number of roots ; the cell suspension can then be examined instead of a large number of sections or squashes of individual roots. This is of particular advantage in studies in which the examination of a large cell population is required for the evaluation of the cytological effects of a particular experimental treatment, such as X-radiation. A number of techniques have been described for making cell suspensions from plant roots^1–3, all of which either produce a large number of broken cells or require the use of enzymes. The following simplified method without the use of enzymes has given satisfactory results with Vicia faba root-tips, the number of cells broken being negligible.