Visualization of early stress responses in plant leaves

Plant leaves possess 'microscopic valves', called stomata, that enable control of transpirational water loss. In case of water shortage, stomata close, resulting in decreased transpirational cooling. The ensuing temperature increase is readily visualized by thermography. Salicylic acid, a central compound in the defense of plants against pathogens, also closes stomata in several species. In previous work, thermography permitted to monitor an increase in temperature after infection of resistant tobacco by tobacco mosaic virus, before visual symptoms appeared. Furthermore, cell death was visualized with high contrast in both tobacco and Arabidopsis. In addition to transpiration, photosynthetic assimilation is a key physiological parameter. If the amount of light absorbed by chlorophyll exceeds the capacity of the photosynthetic chain, the surplus is dissipated as light of longer wavelength. This phenomenon is known as chlorophyll fluorescence. If a plant leaf is affected by stress, photosynthesis is impaired resulting in a bigger share of non-utilized light energy emitted as fluorescence. The potential of an automated imaging setup combining thermal and fluorescence imaging was shown by monitoring spontaneous cell death in tobacco. This represents a first step to multispectral characterization of a wide range of emerging stresses, which likely affect one or both key physiological parameters.