Preparation of Mitotic Chromosomes with the Squash Technique

Plant chromosomes are usually obtained from meristematic tissue of active root tips through the conventional squash method. Nevertheless, cytogenetic work usually implies a great effort and some modifications of standard procedures need to be evaluated. In this chapter, we describe our outline for handling chromosomes using the squash method. By using these protocols, high-quality chromosome spreads are obtained, which allow chromosome counting, building karyotypes, and assessing chromosomal landmarks, and enable genome mapping by fluorochrome banding and in situ hybridization techniques.