Here in India Thuja plant is considered an auspicious tree/shrub – Morpankhi and is linked to knowledge diety and I remember keeping its twigs in between book pages as a child. The male cones were plucked and pollen isolated to see under foldscope. Thuja – an evergreen, coniferous tree belongs to family cupressaceae ( Cypress…
Tag: #sd@foldscopechandigarh
Pollen from a tree
A medium-sized tree outside my boundary wall provides shade to passer byes in summer noons. These days it is in full bloom with white and purple small flowers. I plucked a few flowers and observed its pollen under foldscope.
Germinating pollen of Mahogony flower
Pollen germination was seen in several pollen of the mahogany flower that were released on teasing the anthers. The pollen were dusted on a slide, covered and observed using a foldscope attached to an iPhone. Long pollen tubes arising from the germ pores were closely observed.
Pollen of Mahogony flower under foldscope
Indian mahogany (also called Red cedar) is botanically known as Toona ciliata. It is a large deciduous tree belonging to family Meliaceae (Neem family). In Chandigarh these trees can be occasionally spotted. I had gone for my car repair, where I spotted this tree in full bloom near the car market. I collected the samples…
Variety of trichomes in Tulsi leaf
Onset of spring season has sprouted new leaves on my tulsi plant. Trichomes were isolated from young tulsi leaves and observed under foldscope. They were of variable shapes and sizes. I wonder if the mature leaves too have similar type and shapes.
Leaf Trichomes of Daucus carota
Certain leaves when eaten cause irritation of throat. Such leaves are not even eaten by cattle and other herbivores. When scratched and seen under foldscope the cause was presence of trichomes on the surface of leaves.
Cells of a dried flower during autumn season seen under foldscsope
Autumn season in progress has seen fallen leaves of trees everywhere. My garden bougainvillea is also set to bloom fresh with old petals fallen with winds blowing these days. I picked a fallen, dried petal and could see its cells under foldscope.
White Mold-Sclerotia causing pod rot in peas
Some white, cottony mass was observed on pea pods. The sample observed under foldscope revealed fungal hyphae and black, irregular sclerotia. When these pea pods were split open, white fluffy, slimy mycelium was found inside also. Infection results in production of dense white mycelium which covers the stems, leaves and even the pods. The affected…
Foldscope view of Marigold leaves infested with spidermites
Marigold is prized for its bright colours easy to grow nature and require little care. The plant is hardy and perfect for landscape settings and home gardens. While marigolds are typically pest-free and not bothered by most insects, occasional problems may arise with a few common garden pests. I could see some powdery appearance on…
Spider mites seen under foldscope
Activity of spider mites captured under foldscope
Aphids seen on Chrysanthemums under foldscope
Chrysanthemum plants are in full bloom these days in my garden.Some plants however are still young and have not flowered. The other day, I noticed some flies on it. On moving closer, I saw it infested with aphids. The leaves were showing white sticky patches and dark brown-grey coloured minute pests sticking near the growing…
Aphids on Chrysanthemum showing movement captured under foldscope
Aphids on Chrysanthemum plant showing movement captured under foldscope
Exploring the moulted skin of the aphid menace on Rose plant under foldscope
Red and green coloured aphids were noticed on Rose plant. Close observation showed white flies and sticky exudation on the leaves. I had read in my biology class as insects moult they shed their casts and their whitish cast skins may be mistaken for whiteflies. With our foldscopes ready, we fixed samples and observed some nymphs and…
Foldscoping pollen of Fenugreek- a multipurpose crop
Fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum-graecum) is multipurpose crop known for its medicinal and nutritional value (food and fodder both). It is an annual winter plant of the family Fabaceae. The plant has trifoliate compound leaves with somewhat small, obovate leaflets, Flowers are typically yellow coloured and triangular shaped. Calyx is cup shaped with papilionaceous corolla. Stamens form…
Warning signs of Albugo seen on the radish plants in my kitchen garden
Small white lesions were noticed on the radish leaves in my kitchen garden. In an attempt to explore the cause, I cut a small portion and teased it gently on a slide. On peeping through a foldscope, I could make out small round conidia in chains. It confirmed an attack of Albugo. I asked the…
Mold on garlic clove – a post harvest loss
Blue-green moldy growth was observed on a clove of garlic . I prepared a temporary mount from the infected portion and observed it under foldscope. I could see intense fungal growth.
Trichomes on radish leaves under foldscope
Plants have several defense mechanisms against abiotic and biotic stress. Leaf trichomes are uni-cellular or multi-cellular hairs that can be glandular or non-glandular and are believed to protect plants against herbivory and drought. Leaf trichomes production insome plants increases tolerance to drought. Radish leaves also develop trichomes that were seen under foldscope and were found…
Exploring the kitchen garden plants under Foldscope – pollen of radish
Radish, Raphanus sativus is a winter herbaceous annual of family Brassicaceae. The plant has a short hairy stem and a rosette of leaves. The season nearing an end some plants show whitish-pink flowers in corymbose racemes. Stamens bear yellow anthers with short filaments. The pollen isolated from anthers were seen under foldscope. They were oval –…
Pollen observed under foldscope
Observed Pollen grain from a flower from my garden
Aphids on Brassica plant in Punjab fields seen through foldscope
Grey coloured powder was observed from a distance on Brassica stem in a field during one of our visits to Punjab fields. On moving closer, we could see a grey coat all over the stem When left for some time on a paper, all the aphids settled down as grey powder mass. The leaves showed…
Exploring galls formed by leaf miner on Brassica under foldscope
In the young leaves of the Mustard crop, irregular streaks were seen which showed attack by leaf miner. Sample taken from the area showed soft, juicy sap with irregular swollen areas and empty cells In a view the pest in side view could be spotted. On the attacked leaf the starting and end points of…
Fungi Everywhere – 7
Sample – 7 is of curd showing moldy growth. Curd left for 2 days outside the refrigerator showed moldy growth. Fixing a sample on a slide and observing through a foldscope revealed mycelium mat and Aspergillus spores with and without stain.
Disease Identification using Foldscope – White rust of Crucifers seen on Mustard
Some disease symptoms were seen on Mustard plants in a field in Ropar during one our visits. Small, localized white patches were seen on both the surfaces of some leaves. On other leaves, presence of large powdery patches – especially towards the leaf tips, as if the smaller patches had coalesced to form large infected…
Early symptoms of powdery mildew on sunflower explored under foldscope @ GGDSD College
Young sunflower plants in the college Botanical garden were seen to show white powdery growth on upper surface of the leaves. Detailed study revealed the following symptoms: Appearance of white powdery mass on leaves Lower leaves heavily infected than upper ones Severely infected leaves turning yellow and later dried out The collected sample on analysis…
Corainder leaf microflora from my kitchen garden under foldscope
Coriander plants growing in my garden developed yellow patches on leaves. Suspecting some disease attack, I fixed the sample on a slide and observed under the foldscope – some fiber-like structures and some cysts.
Pollen of white cherry @ Kansal Forest area
The area around the log hut of the Kansal forest is well maintained and showed beautiful landscaping. Clusters of racemes bearing pure white coloured flowers adorned the medium-sized Prunus (Family – Rosaceae) trees and were a part of landscape horticulture. The white cherry tree is of great ornamental value and is usually vegetatively propagated. The…
Powdery mildew on Tulsi under foldscope
White powder was seen on upper side of some tulsi leaves. Also the leaves showing powdery mass had turned reddish-brown in colour. The powdery mass when seen through foldscope showed large number of microscopic fungal spores – probably conidia. On the conidiophores, the point of attachment of conidia were clearly marked. Besides, the spores were…
Spirogyra from a pond @ Kansal Forest
As we walked towards the log hut, two small rain-fed lakes meant for fulfilling the water requirement of wild animals were seen in the Kansal forest. Besides, several small dams were seen flowing through the area These had algal blooms from where we collected samples. Later in the lab, a sample was drawn and gently…
Trichomes of Nyctanthes leaf seen under foldscope
Leaves of Nyctanthes commonly called Haar singhar are rough and glabrous and of great medicinal importance. Lower epidermal peel was fixed and pointed trichomes were seen under foldscope.
Pests on Tulsi plant observed under foldscope
Tulsi plant in my garden showed small black spots on the leaves. I fixed them on a slide and observed under the foldscope to see mealy bugs. What type of pests are these only a plant pathologist can tell, but it is a serious issue that even Tulsi plant which is a medicinal plant can…