Results and discussion: Monocot vs. Dicot Iodine test Monocot and dicot leaves were subjected su bjected to Lugol’s Iodine test, where presence of starch is tested using I2 in I. !he for"ation of a bluish blac# precipitate or coloration indicates the for"ation of a starch$iodine co"ple%. !he helical structure of starch allows iodine "olecules to get ensnared b& the helices, which then for"s the colored co"ple%. Monocot and Dicot leaves were sheared into s"all pieces and boiled with 'thanol, this process is useful in two wa&s. (ne, the presence of ethanol e)ectivel& bleaches the leaves, and re"oves dar# colorations, allowing for easier color observation, and two, b& heating the leaves, the cell walls are softened and the cells are l&sed, e%posing the c&toplas"ic contents, this allows for eas& binding of the iodine ato"s to starch granules that "a& be present inside the once encapsulated a"&loplasts. Figure _. Monocot leaves after Iodine test for starch. st arch. *s shown on +gure , Monocot leaves did not e%hibit signi+cant concentration of starch on its leaves. In between the parallel veins, there were evident coloration of bands, presu"abl& where the Iodine "olecules aggregated, and "ost of the leaf cells were l&sed open. -owever, there were no observable dar# colorations as one would see on a sa"ple with high starch concentration. !his result indicates indicates that at the particular ti"e, there was little to no starch on "onocot&ledon leaves. !his result can be attributed to the absence of the alisade parench&"a on Monocot leaves. !he palisade parench&"a in dicot leaves is where "ost of the photos&nthetic pig"ents are located and is the "ain site for photos&nthesis. !he absence of this la&er on Monocot&ledon leaves could "ean that starch is rapidl& r apidl& transported and stored so"ewhere else on the plant after s&nthesis fro" glucose subunits fro" the photos&nthetic process.
/igure . Dicot leaves after the Iodine test for starch. *fter the Iodine test, there was a visible dar# coloration of the Dicot leaves, indicating the presence of a "uch larger concentration of starch co"pared to the Monocot sa"ple. *s photos&nthesis on the "esoph&ll la&er occurs, "onosaccharide sugars are rapidl& converted into starch, and for the case of Dicot leaves, a large portion of starch is stored on the leaves. !he results however, are not de+nite per plant, the presence of starch on leaves still lean on "ultiple factors. (ne such factor is the rate of photos&nthesis. If the particular plant has been stored in dar#ness, or an area without ade0uate sunlight, photos&nthesis will halt, and sugar concentration will be low, for"ation of fruits is also a signi+cant factor on carboh&drate storage and allocation.
References: Di)erence between Monocot, and Dicot leaf. 213. Retrieved, (ctober 4, 215. http:66www."ajordi)erences.co"62136136di)erence$between$"onocot$and$ dicot.ht"l7.89h!;!8< lant =tructure, and *daptation. Retrieved, (ctober 4, 215. http:66www2.sluh.org6bioweb6apbio6apclassoutlines6olplantstructureandad aptation.ht" +ster, >arbara, et. *l. /or"ation of =tarch in lant ?ells. 215. Retrieved, (ctober 4, 215. https:66www.ncbi.nl".nih.gov6p"c6articles6M?3@@4A16 !esting Leaves for =tarch. =ociet& of >iolog&. Bove"ber 21. Retrieved, (ctober 4, 215. http:66www.nuCeldfoundation.org6practical$biolog&6testing$leaves$ starch$techni0ue Investigating hotos&nthesis =tarch, and chloroph&ll. >>? education, Enited ingdo". Retrieved, (ctober 4, 215. http:66www.bbc.co.u#6education6guides6F024@j56revision65 !aiF, L. and '. Geiger. H2115. lant h&siolog&. /ourth 'dition. Massachusetts: =inauer *ssociates, Inc., ublishers
/riend, *.L. ?ole"an, M.D. and 9.J. Isebrands. @@3. ?arbon allocation to root and shoot s&ste"s of wood& plants. >iolog& of *dventitious Root /or"ation. B<: lenu" ress
