In Vivo 1H-NMR Microimaging During Seed Imbibition, Germination, and Early Growth

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.