Observing the water distribution within the xylem provides significant information regarding water flow dynamics in woody plants. In this study, we demonstrate the practical approach to observe xylem water distribution in situ by using a cryostat and cryo-SEM, which eliminates artifactual changes in the water status during sample preparation.
Yazaki, K., Ogasa, M. Y., Kuroda, K., Utsumi, Y., Kitin, P., Sano, Y. Xylem Water Distribution in Woody Plants Visualized with a Cryo-scanning Electron Microscope. J. Vis. Exp. (148), e59154, doi:10.3791/59154 (2019).