In order to enhance community service and collaboration with other institutions, the Plant Structure and Development Laboratory recently hosted 122 students from two study programs (Horticultural Agribusiness and Seed Technology) at the Yogyakarta Magelang Agricultural Development Polytechnic for a practical introduction to plant cells and tissues. The practical was held from October 3rd to October 13th, 2023. During this activity, each student participated in two sessions, each lasting 4 hours, from 08:00 AM to 12:00 PM. In the first session, students engaged in practical exercises covering 10 topics, including longitudinal sections of the tips of Sambucus javanicus stems; epidermal sections of maize (Zea mays L.) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) leaves; transverse sections of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and carrot (Daucus carota L.) tubers; maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) stems; ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) rhizome, turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) rhizome, and betel (Piper betle L.) stem (fresh preparations). In the second session, the materials covered were transverse sections of roots, stems, and leaves of maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.).
Throughout the practical, students received instruction from lecturers (Dr. Maryani, M.Sc., Utaminingsih, S.Si., M.Sc., Novita Yustinadiar, S.Si., M.Si., and Dr. Wiko Arif Wibowo, S.Si., M.Sc.) from the Plant Structure and Development Laboratory. The aim was to equip the students with an understanding of plant cells and tissues. Students were guided to observe and comprehend each provided sample and to characterize them. At the end of each session, students, along with their supervising lecturers, discussed the observations they made.
The Plant Stucture and Development Laboratory expresses gratitude to the Yogyakarta Magelang Agricultural Development Polytechnic for entrusting 122 of their students to participate in this training program for the introduction to plant cells and tissues. It is hoped that this activity will serve as a platform for expanding collaboration between the Faculty of Biology, UGM, and the institution. Furthermore, it is anticipated that activities like this will be conducted regularly and inspire other institutions in need of similar collaborative efforts, especially in the field of plant anatomy slide preparation and introduction training. This community service activity is one of the efforts in support of sustainable development, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education (SDG 4).
