Class IX Practical: Plant Life - Microscopy (Onion Peel)

Objective

To prepare a temporary mount of onion epidermal peel and observe the structure of a typical plant cell.

Guidelines

1. Peel Preparation: Carefully peel off a thin, transparent epidermal layer from the concave side of an onion scale leaf.
2. Mounting: Place the peel flat in a drop of water (or a dilute stain like safranin/methylene blue) on a clean glass slide.
3. Coverslip: Gently lower a coverslip over the peel, avoiding air bubbles.
4. Observation: Observe the slide under a compound microscope at low and high power. Identify the cell wall, cell membrane (not always distinct), cytoplasm, nucleus, and large central vacuole.
5. Drawing: Draw a neat, labeled diagram of a few observed onion cells.

Expected Outcome

Clear microscopic observation of plant cells, highlighting the presence of a distinct cell wall and a large central vacuole.