"Laboratory & Field Techniques in Plant Science" by Dr. Kalayan Das is a comprehensive and practice-oriented textbook tailored to meet the curriculum requirements of the FYUGP NEP syllabus for B.Sc. 3rd Semester Botany Major and Minor students. The book is designed to bridge theoretical knowledge with hands-on practical experience, equipping students with essential laboratory skills and field techniques crucial for the study of plant sciences.

This textbook covers a wide range of experimental protocols, field methodologies, specimen collection procedures, and analytical tools that are vital for botany students. It offers step-by-step guidance on performing botanical experiments, preparing herbarium sheets, identifying local flora, and understanding ecological field data. The inclusion of detailed illustrations, real-life applications, safety precautions, and assessment-based learning outcomes makes it an ideal resource for students, teachers, and institutions alike.

Aligned strictly with the Gauhati University (GU) syllabus and adaptable for various autonomous colleges and universities across India, the book ensures academic relevance, skill development, and a smooth transition from classroom theory to field-based application.

? Key Units Covered:

? UNIT 1: Laboratory Safety and Good Practices

• Safety protocols, lab etiquettes, hazard management

• Handling of glassware, chemicals, and instruments

• First-aid for chemical burns, electrical accidents

? UNIT 2: Handling and Maintenance of Instruments

• Use of pipettes, magnetic stirrers, laminar airflow

• Luxmeter, pH meter, autoclave, centrifuge, SDS-PAGE unit

• Instruments for culture and spectrometry

? UNIT 3: Measurements and Calculations

• Unit conversions, logarithms, scientific notation

• Calculation of volumes, weights, and fractions

• Application of measurements in practical botany

? UNIT 4: Solutions and Buffers

• Preparation of Normal, Molar, Molal, Percentage solutions

• Buffer preparation: phosphate, citrate, Tris-HCl

• pH determination, dilution techniques

? UNIT 5: Microscopy and Culture Techniques

• Working of light and electron microscopes

• Fixation, staining, mounting of specimens

• Preparation of NA, NB, PDA, MS media

• Fungal and bacterial culture, plating and serial dilution

? UNIT 6: Biostatistics, Computing & Field Skills

• Tabulation, mean, median, mode, SD, SE, CV

• Use of MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint in scientific reporting

• Field-based data collection, herbarium techniques

? Practical Highlights:

• Preparation of various types of solutions

• pH determination using paper and indicator

• Herbarium sheet preparation of flowering plants

• Study of centrifuge, autoclave, incubator, spectrophotometer

• Microbial culture techniques (fungal & bacterial)

• Drawing tables and graphs, statistical analysis using Excel

• Transverse sections of dicot & monocot stems and roots

• Slide preparation and temporary staining