Molecular Imaging for Plant Physiology (2): Multi-tracer Imaging System for the Dynamics of Nutrients and Pollutants in Intact Plants

Abstract

We have developed prototype of the multi-element imaging system for plant study using CdTe semiconductor detector, which has high-energy resolution. The feasibility of this system for gamma-ray emission imaging of radioactive multi-nuclide tracer was examined by imaging experiment with a plant. The distribution of the two sample tracers, technetium and thallium, fed to a tobacco plant was successfully visualized for each nuclide simultaneously. The presented imaging method will yield plant molecular imaging, which visualizes dynamics of some competitive elements in intact plant, non-invasively and quantitatively.