Abstract

The objective of this research was to develop techniques to clear and/or isolate embryo sacs of Impatiens glandulifera and Nicotiana tabacum, to facilitate microscopic examination for subsequent experimentation on in vitro fertilization of flowering plants. Two techniques were applied: The clearing and enzymic maceration. Both of the 2 adopted techniques were effective in revealing embryo sacs of the studied plant species. A fixative prepared from propionic acid, formaldehyde, ethanol (50%) in the ratio 5:5:90 was used. The clearing solution was prepared from lactic acid (85%), chloral hydrate, phenol, clove oil and xylene in the ratio 2:2:2:2:1 by weight. Both the clearing and the enzymic maceration techniques proved effective in revealing embryo sacs of I. glandulifera and N. tabacum.

Keywords:

Embryo sac, enzymic maceration, fixation techniques, ovules,

References

Competing interests

The authors have no competing interests.

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Copyright

The authors have no competing interests.