TY  - CONF
AU  - Agyei, Kwabena
AU  - Metzner, Ralf
AU  - Pflugfelder, Daniel
AU  - Mahlein, Anne-Katrin
AU  - Koller, Robert
AU  - Huber, Gregor
TI  - In vivo quantification of temporal transport velocities and allocation of photoassimilates within sugar beet taproot by tomographic imaging
M1  - FZJ-2026-00461
PY  - 2025
AB  - Sugar beet is the second largest sugar-producing crop, accounting for about 40% of global sugar output. However, there is limited information regarding the phloem transport dynamics of photoassimilates during taproot development, which is a critical process in sugar accumulation. This gap is due to the hidden nature and limited availability of technologies to measure phloem dynamics. To address this, the storage organs of growing sugar beets were assessed using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Additionally, plants affected by the rapidly spreading syndrome “basses richesses” (SBR) disease, which leads to an occlusion of the vascular tissues and significant yield losses, were analyzed.We found that generally, flow velocity was highest around 49 and 54 days after planting and substantially decreased until the last measurement at 84 days. Tracer flow velocities, ranging from 1.4 to 15.2 mm/min, were fastest in the taproot's inner section. Interestingly, SBR disease did not alter transport velocities. However, PET analysis revealed a heterogeneous distribution of labeled photoassimilates in diseased plants, with SBR-symptomatic taproot sectors showing very low tracer signals. This heterogeneity most probably originates from partial leaf inoculation, leading to an uneven pathogen distribution within the taproot.These results indicate that photoassimilate transport is dynamic, varying by organ, section, and developmental stage. The MRI-PET co-registration further suggests that biotic stressors like SBR impair photoassimilate sink capacity early in taproot development. Combining MRI and PET offers a powerful tool for understanding critical plant processes under developmental or environmental stress.
T2  - 3rd Workshop Carbon Allocation in Plants
CY  - 27 Oct 2025 - 29 Oct 2025, Versailles (France)
Y2  - 27 Oct 2025 - 29 Oct 2025
M2  - Versailles, France
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)6
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1050716
ER  -