Methods in Molecular Biology 773: 319-327 (2011)

In vivo ¹H-NMR microimaging during seed imbibition, germination, and early growth

University of Freiburg, Faculty of Biology, Institute for Biology II, Botany / Plant Physiology, Schänzlestr. 1, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany, Web: 'The Seed Biology Place' http://www.seedbiology.eu (G. L.-M.)
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 9 8888, University Drive, Burnaby BC, V5A 1S6, Canada (K. M., A. K.)
Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada (V. T.)

Chapter 18 in: Allison R. Kermode (ed.), Seed Dormancy: Methods and Protocols
DOI 10.1007/978-1-61779-231-1_18
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011

Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a superior noninvasive diagnostic tool widely used in clinical medicine, with more than 60 million MRI tests performed each year worldwide. More specialized high-resolution MRI systems capable of a resolution that is 100-1,000 times higher than standard MRI instruments are used primarily in materials science, but are used with increasing frequency in plant physiology. We have shown that high-resolution (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) microimaging can provide a wealth of information about the internal anatomy of plant seeds as small as 1 mm or even smaller. This chapter covers the methods associated with these imaging techniques in detail. We also discuss the application of (1)H-NMR microimaging to study in vivo seed imbibition, germination, and early seedling growth..


Key words: Nuclear magnetic resonance, Magnetic resonance imaging, Microimaging, Chemical shift selective imaging, Seed imbibition, Germination

Financial support: This work is funded by a "Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft" (DFG LE720/6) grant awarded to G. Leubner-Metzger and a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Strategic grant to A. Kermode and others. We are grateful for the use of NMR Facilities at the Fraunhofer Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBMT), St. Ingbert, Germany and at the Plant Biotechnology Institute NRC, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. Further information: 'The Seed Biology Place' - www.seedbiology.eu