Application of Freeze Etching Technique for Investigating Cell Wall Organization of Parenchyma Cells in Higher Plants

Abstract

Freeze etching technique was applied for investigating cell wall organization of parenchyma cells in the cortex. This technique gave highly oriented microfibrils in any lamellae and did very good insight into three dimensional relationship among cytoplasm, plasmalemma and cell wall. The technique can also give information of the orientation of microfibrils inherent to respective lamella which makes wall by piling up in a complex manner. Hence, freeze etching technique seems more reliable for the study of natural states of cell wall organization than the classical direct shadow casting technique and more recent replicating, followed by shadow casting techniques.