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Book of Abstracts First Legume Society Conference 2013: A Legume Odyssey Novi Sad, Serbia, 9-11 May 2013
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Innovative imaging techniques for above and belowground legume development
Ralf Metzner, Carel Windt, Dagmar van Dusschotenand, Siegfried Jahnke
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute for Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Jülich, Germany
A precise and quantitative description of development processes in plants is a requirement for
both phenotyping and plant physiology. While this can be done straightforward for some traits,
others, like belowground development and pod filling dynamics,are difficult to study with
destructive techniques and can greatly benefit from advanced non-invasive methods. The
dynamic development of roots and nodules in the soil for example is a critical process for the
growth and yield of legume plants and is sensitive to stress. However opacity of the soil and
vulnerability to excavation hinder detailed investigation. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can
be used to study root and nodule development in the soil. Additional Positron Emission
Tomography (PET) with 11 C tracer can quantify nodule functionality by measuring carbon
import. We demonstrate the use of MRI to study both root and nodule development in soilgrown
common bean. Pod filling is another dynamic and stress-sensitive process critical for yield.
For seed yield under drought, for example, accelerated partitioning of photosynthesis towards
pods is known to be a chief trait. We demonstrate the use of portable NMR (Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance) sensors to non-invasively monitor the dynamics of seed filling in terms of water- and
dry matter content in an online fully automated fashion. Short term effects of abiotic and biotic
interactions can be revealed alsoby combined MRI/PET showing carbon partitioning within the
plant body in 3D. The potential and challenges of these techniques will be discussed along with
first results on legume development.
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