Transparent soil for imaging the rhizosphere

Understanding of soil processes is essential for addressing the global issues of food security, disease transmission and climate change. However, techniques for observing soil biology are lacking. We present a heterogeneous, porous, transparent substrate for in situ 3D imaging of living plants and r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2012-09, Vol.7 (9), p.e44276
Main Authors: Downie, Helen, Holden, Nicola, Otten, Wilfred, Spiers, Andrew J, Valentine, Tracy A, Dupuy, Lionel X
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Bacteria - metabolism
Biology
Cell division
Climate change
Colonies
Colonization
Dietary minerals
Disease transmission
E coli
Escherichia coli
Fluorescence
Fluorescent dyes
Fluorescent indicators
Food security
Food supply
Genetics
Humans
Imaging
Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods
Medical imaging
Microbiology
Microorganisms
Microscopy
Microscopy, Confocal
Minerals
Optical properties
Particle size
Particulates
Plant growth
Plant Roots - growth & development
Plant Roots - microbiology
Pore size
Porosity
Refractometry
Rhizosphere
Soil
Soil biology
Soil Microbiology
Soil microorganisms
Soil testing
Substrates
Tomography
Vermiculite
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Summary:Understanding of soil processes is essential for addressing the global issues of food security, disease transmission and climate change. However, techniques for observing soil biology are lacking. We present a heterogeneous, porous, transparent substrate for in situ 3D imaging of living plants and root-associated microorganisms using particles of the transparent polymer, Nafion, and a solution with matching optical properties. Minerals and fluorescent dyes were adsorbed onto the Nafion particles for nutrient supply and imaging of pore size and geometry. Plant growth in transparent soil was similar to that in soil. We imaged colonization of lettuce roots by the human bacterial pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 showing micro-colony development. Micro-colonies may contribute to bacterial survival in soil. Transparent soil has applications in root biology, crop genetics and soil microbiology.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0044276