NAME: A.S.VIDISHA

COLLEGE: CMR PU NATIONAL COLLEGE

SPECIMEN(s) : ALMOND ( Prunus dulcis) & PEANUT ( Arachis hypogaea)

SPECIMEN COLLECTED FROM : BANGALORE, KARNATAKA

SPECIMEN OBSERVED AT: CMR PU COLLEGE, ITPL, BANGALORE

A sample of the outer skin of an almond and a peanut was observed under a foldscope . The outer layer is know as the testa. Almond testa is mainly composed of sclerenchyma, with few traces of parenchyma and xylem tissue. Almond falls under a special category called Drupe. Peanut testa is also sclerenchymous and has a high content of cutin (waxy, water impermeable layer). As observed under the foldscope, the almond skin was more densely packed with cells than that of the peanut. The peanut skin showed lesser a lesser number of cells and more fibre, as compared to the almond testa. It was interested to see such variations in the skin structure of 2 different seeds and was very insightful.