Root tip mitosis
Root tip squash
This protocol has been developed in collaboration with CLEAPSS (the school science safety consultants in England) to minimise the risks involved in the stain that is used and in the use of hot acid.You can grow the garlic roots by using a cocktail stick to suspend the cloves of garlic over water, like this. This also enables the garlic clove to remain intact for the majority of the treatments and minimises the handling of hot hydrochloric acid.If you want to, you can split the cloves into smaller sections once the roots have grown so that each student or group of students doesn’t need a whole clove. They do however, need at least 3 roots each. Place each section of the clove back on a cocktail stick for ease of handling and a safer protocol.You should use a garlic clove that has been growing for approximately 3 days with roots about 1cm long. The growth rate of roots is variable so it is worth setting up cloves over a series of a few days so that you have some roots of the right length available.Teaching Biology: Inspiring Students with Plant Science

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