Molecular imaging for plant physiology, 2; Multi-tracer imaging system for the dynamics of nutrients and pollutants in intact plants

Kawachi, Naoki; Fujimaki, Shu; Suzui, Nobuo; Ishii, Satomi; Matsuhashi, Shimpei; Sato, Takahiro; Watanabe, Shin*; Takeda, Shinichiro*; Takahashi, Tadayuki*

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 -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.