ABSTRACT
The choice of species, organs, and tissues, like the choice of the size of the sample to be prepared, depends on the research aims and the nature of tissue spaces to be studied. This technique is applicable to a wide range of plant samples, from the hardest, such as wood, to the most fragile, such as the primary and herbaceous tissues. The sawn cross-sections of lignified organs are carefully trimmed with a razor in order to open the surface pores, which are the routes through which the casting agent enters. Once the pathways of entry have been cleared for the casting agent, the plant material must be prepared so that the casting agent occupies all the spaces to be cast and hardens by cross-linking under optimal conditions. The progression of the casting agent through the tissues is totally blocked by intact primary walls only.
