This book is intended to be a working manual of the major modern techniques used to prepare plant material for transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The preparation of plant cells and tissues for electron microscopy often presents special problems, particularly due to the presence of the tough cell wall and large central vacuole. General books on electron microscope methodology often fail to address these questions, whereas this volume specifically details the preparative techniques available for botanical specimens. Basic methods, such as thin-sectioning and the operation of the microscopes, are not covered since these are detailed in the many other excellent texts and operation manuals; a knowledge of these procedures is assumed. The book consists of nine chapters, each written by acknowledged specialists in the field. Each chapter covers the basic principles of the approach, describes useful applications of the method, and gives full details of reliable procedures to be used. The topics covered are as follows: general preparation and staining of thin sections; stereoelectron microscopy; quantitative morphological analysis; enzyme cytochemistry; immunocytochemical labelling; in situ hybridization techniques; rapid freezing methods; ambient- and low-temperature scanning electron microscopy; and microanalysis. The approach to these chapters varies somewhat due to the different stages of development of the techniques. Some have well-defined procedures that have been established over the last 30-40 years. Others are in the early stages of development. Since the publication of Electron Microscopy and Cytochemistry of Plant Cells (edited by J.L. Hall) in 1978, a book with the same general aims, some procedures have simply been refined, so the broad approach is similar. In contrast some techniques have developed and changed considerably, while others are introduced for the first time.
