title: Cutting stems before relaxing xylem tension induces artefacts in Vitis coignetiae, as evidenced by magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: It was recently reported that cutting artefacts occur in some species when branches under tension are cut, even under water. We used non-destructive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the change in xylem water distribution at the cellular level in Vitis coignetiae standing stems before and after relaxing tension. Less than 3% of vessels were cavitated when stems under tension were cut under water at a position shorter than the maximum vessel length (MVL) from the MRI point, in three of four plants. The vessel contents remained at their original status, and cutting artefact vessel cavitation declined to <1% when stems were cut at a position farther than the MVL from the MRI point. Water infiltration into the originally cavitated vessels after cutting the stem, i.e. vessel refilling, was found in <1% of vessels independent of cutting position on three of nine plants. The results indicate that both vessel cavitation and refilling occur in xylem tissue under tension following stem cutting, but its frequency is quite small, and artefacts can be minimized altogether if the distance between the monitoring position and the cutting point is longer than the MVL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8563, Japan.|Department of Plant Ecology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, 305-8687, Japan.
authors.forename: Mayumi Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Ogasa
authors.affiliation: Kyushu University Forest, Kyushu University, Ashoro, 089-3705, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Utsumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Ecology, Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoko H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Miki
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Ecology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, 305-8687, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yazaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8563, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuda
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D027843:Vitis / Q000502:physiology*; D014867:Water; D052584:Xylem / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D014867:Water
keywords: MRI; cryo-SEM; negative pressure; water potential; water transport; xylem