The Analysis of Xylem Vessel Structure of Populus euphratica Oliv.Fresh Branch by HRCT

ABSTRACT

Analysis of the xylem vessels of Populus euphratica Oliv. (P. euphratica) branch anatomical characteristics is usually performed using microtomy. It is time-consuming to obtain an abundance of cross-sections using microtomy, and the sample was dried and sliced. The more effective technology for the analysis of the anatomical characteristics of P. euphratica fresh branch would be of significance for the study of the tolerance mechanism. In this paper, the xylem vessels structure of P. euphratica branches were investigated by high-resolution computed tomography(HRCT) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) to establish an efficient method to research the tolerance mechanism of P. euphratica. Analysis of the images allowed characterisation of the internal morphological and histology structural features of the fresh and dried branches of P. euphratica. Drying process caused distinct changes in the microstructure of the branches with shrinking in the more external regions and the interspace between vessels compared with fresh branches. The SEM slice of the same sample that clearly has a higher resolution than the HRCT slice, and the structure of the xylem vessels is distinct in the SEM. However, SEM is a destructive process that requires complex sample preparation, and the quality of the sample preparation and staining directly affect the resulting images. It can be concluded that the xylem vessel of P. euphratica branches can be observed using HRCT, which offers an effective means of obtaining the needed quantitative data on the tolerance mechanism of P. euphratica.

KEYWORDS:

• Xylem vessel
• Populus euphratica Oliv
• fresh branch
• anatomical structure
• High-resolution computed tomography

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all laboratory technicians in the Lab of Woody Plant Growth and Development in Beijing Forestry University. All field works were carried out under the regulations on the Protection of Wild Plants of China.

Authors Contribution

WHL, CXZ, led design and execution of branches scan analyses and manuscript writing. These authors made equal contributions.WHL performed writing the first draft and analysis of scan and data processing; CXZ led study design and editing of the manuscript; SHH assisted in image processing.

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Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant No. 31170563 and 30671655).