An NMR microscopic study of grape (Vitis vinifera L)

Mature healthy grape berries and berries wound-inoculated with the fungus Botrytis cinerea were examined by H-I NMR microimaging using 2D and 3D spin echo and gradient echo procedures. These NMR images were compared with representations obtained by conventional histology, where possible using the same specimens. 3D imaging datasets from excised seeds were reconstructed by surface rendering and maximum intensity projection to allow interpretation of their internal structure. T-2-weighted spin echo images revealed the major features of the pericarp, septum and loculi of whole berries. T-1-weighted images were less discriminatory of parenchyma tissues in the fruit but revealed the endosperm in seeds as a chemically shifted feature. A non-invasive study by T-1-weighted spin echo NMR imaging of infection by B. cinerea over a 6-day period showed that the disease spread throughout the exocarp but failed to spread in the mesocarp, a result confirmed by histological examination of the same specimen. Surface rendering of 3D datasets of excised seeds revealed the two ruminations of the endosperm and the distal location of the chalaza. The position of the embryonic axis was revealed in T-2-weighted maximum intensity projections. This noninvasive study revealed the need to apply a range of imaging techniques and parameters to visualise the structural features of the different parts of the grape berry.