Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38757896›Full record

ArticlePlant physiology2024

In vivo X-ray microtomography locally affects stem radial growth with no immediate physiological impact.

Laura Mekarni, Hervé Cochard, Marco M Lehmann, Pascal Turberg, Charlotte Grossiord

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Plant physiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Xylem embolism refilling revealed in stems of a weedy grass.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Laura MekarniPlant Ecology Research Laboratory PERL, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID 0009-0005-2676-7837
Hervé CochardUniversité Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, PIAF, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.ORCID 0000-0002-2727-7072
Marco M LehmannSwiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Community Ecology Unit, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-2962-3351
Pascal TurbergPlant Ecology Research Laboratory PERL, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-7103-0472
Charlotte GrossiordPlant Ecology Research Laboratory PERL, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-9113-3671

Funding

Sandoz Family FoundationSwiss National Science Foundation 310030_204697
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microcomputed tomography (µCT) is a nondestructive X-ray imaging method used in plant physiology to visualize in situ plant tissues that enables assessments of embolized xylem vessels. Whereas evidence for X-ray-induced cellular damage has been reported, the impact on plant physiological processes such as carbon (C) uptake, transport, and use is unknown. Yet, these damages could be particularly relevant for studies that track embolism and C fluxes over time. We examined the physiological consequences of µCT scanning for xylem embolism over 3 mo by monitoring net photosynthesis (Anet), diameter growth, chlorophyll (Chl) concentration, and foliar nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) content in 4 deciduous tree species: hedge maple (Acer campestre), ash (Fraxinus excelsior), European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), and sessile oak (Quercus petraea). C transport from the canopy to the roots was also assessed through 13C labeling. Our results show that monthly X-ray application did not impact foliar Anet, Chl, NSC content, and C transport. Although X-ray effects did not vary between species, the most pronounced impact was observed in sessile oak, marked by stopped growth and stem deformations around the irradiated area. The absence of adverse impacts on plant physiology for all the tested treatments indicates that laboratory-based µCT systems can be used with different beam energy levels and doses without threatening the integrity of plant physiology within the range of tested parameters. However, the impacts of repetitive µCT on the stem radial growth at the irradiated zone leading to deformations in sessile oak might have lasting implications for studies tracking plant embolism in the longer-term.

Indexed as

AcerPlant LeavesPlant StemsQuercusX-Ray MicrotomographyBetulaceaeBiological TransportCarbonChlorophyllFraxinusPhotosynthesisPlant RootsTreesXylemCarbonChlorophyll

Identifiers

PMID38757896
PMCPMC11491841

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.