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The Contact Slide Technique

This involves the piacing of individual roots with closely adhering soil particles on microscope slides coated with a thin layer of nitro-cellulose dissolved in amyl-acetate. This layer provides an adhesive surface to which the rhizosphere soil sticks.

After removal of the roots, the slides are dried, stained with phenolic aniline-blue, washed with water and mounted in lactophenol. The advantage of this technique is the facility it provides for in sit:. observations of the rhizosphere microflora.