Super-Transparent Soil for In Situ Observation of Root Phenotypes
Jinchun Xie,
Qiye Wu,
Liping Feng,
Junfu Li,
Yingjie Zhou,
Guo-Zhang Wu,
Yongjun Men
Affiliations
Jinchun Xie
State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
Qiye Wu
State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
Liping Feng
Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center of Agri-Seeds, Joint Center for Single Cell Biology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
Junfu Li
State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
Yingjie Zhou
State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
Guo-Zhang Wu
Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center of Agri-Seeds, Joint Center for Single Cell Biology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
Yongjun Men
State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
Transparent soil (TS) presents immense potential for root phenotyping due to its ability to facilitate high-resolution imaging. However, challenges related to transparency, mechanical properties, and cost hinder its development. Herein, we introduce super-transparent soil (s-TS) prepared via the droplet method using low acyl gellan gum and hydroxyethyl cellulose crosslinked with magnesium ions. The refractive index of the hydroxyethyl cellulose solution (1.345) closely aligns with that of water (1.333) and the low acyl gellan gum solution (1.340), thereby significantly enhancing the transmittance of hydrogel-based transparent soil. Optimal transmittance (98.45%) is achieved with polymer concentrations ranging from 0.8 to 1.6 wt.% and ion concentrations between 0.01 and 0.09 mol·L−1. After 60 days of plant cultivation, s-TS maintains a transmittance exceeding 89.5%, enabling the detailed visualization of root growth dynamics. Furthermore, s-TS exhibits remarkable mechanical properties, withstanding a maximum compressive stress of 477 kPa and supporting a maximum load-bearing depth of 186 cm. This innovative approach holds promising implications for advanced root phenotyping studies, fostering the investigation of root heterogeneity and the development of selective expression under controlled conditions.
