A rapid technique using epoxy resin Quetol 651 to prepare woody plant tissues for ultrastructural study

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Abstract
A new technique was evaluated for rapid preparation of woody plant tissues for transmission electron microscopy. A low-viscosity medium formulation was developed using a water-soluble epoxy resin, Quetol 651. No dehydrating solvents were needed during preparation. Samples from living trees and xylary tissues of sound and decayed wood were studied to assess the quality of the media and embedding techniques. Infiltration, preservation of ultrastructural detail, sectioning qualities, and staining of the wood samples were found to be very good. The technique provided a fast, reliable method for preparing wood samples for ultrastructural observation.