%0 Conference Paper
%A Chlubek, Antonia
%A Breuer, Esther
%A Dautzenberg, Marco
%A Pflugfelder, Daniel
%A Huber, Gregor
%A Koller, Robert
%A Metzner, Ralf
%T Uncovering Plant Carbon Dynamics with PET and Complementary Sensors
%M FZJ-2026-00462
%D 2025
%X Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a powerful technique in plant sciences for studying allocation and transport processes in vivo. Of particular interest is the radioisotope Carbon-11, which can be applied as ¹¹CO₂ to leaves and used as a tracer to monitor the movement of photoassimilates within complex three-dimensional structures such as root systems.We employ a fully characterized and calibrated, plant-dedicated PET scanner -the phenoPET- which is housed in a climate-controlled chamber, enabling us to perform routine PET measurements on plants under stable environmental conditions.The ¹¹CO₂ is produced using a cyclotron, trapped in a CO₂ capture unit, and delivered to the plants via a custom-built gas exchange system. This setup also allows continuous monitoring of ¹²CO₂ uptake before, during, and after the ¹¹CO₂ pulse labelling, using two infrared gas analyzers. In parallel, radioactivity detectors measure the amount of ¹¹CO₂ applied to the plant and the amount left-over after labelling, allowing us to quantify the exact amount of radiotracer being taken up the plant.In this poster, we present representative data from peripheral systems operating during a PET scan, demonstrating how this additional information can contribute valuable insights into plant physiology and the effects of applied treatments.
%B 3rd Workshop Carbon Allocation in Plants
%C 27 Oct 2025 - 29 Oct 2025, Versailles (France)
Y2 27 Oct 2025 - 29 Oct 2025
M2 Versailles, France
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)24
%9 Poster
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1050717