Chapter 8, Problem 13PS

Summary Introduction

To identify: Different stages of mitosis in onion root tip.

Concept introduction:

Mitosis is a process of cell division where the parent cell divides to produce two genetically identical daughter cells. Generally, for visualization of different stages of mitosis, onion root tips are selected, as they are the rapidly growing part of the onion. To view various mitotic stages, fresh onion root tips are taken, squashed on the microscopic slide and stained with DNA stains that specifically bind to the supercoiled chromosomes. The stained structures can be visualized under light microscope.