Measuring Spatial and Temporal Oxygen Flux Near Plant Tissues Using a Self-Referencing Optrode

Self-referencing optrodic microsensing is a noninvasive method for measuring oxygen transport into/from tissues. The sensing mechanism is based on fluorescence quenching by molecular oxygen at the tip of a fiber-optic probe, and facilitates microscale spatial mapping and continuous monitoring at 100-350 mHz sampling frequency. Over the last decade, this technique has been applied for plant tissues, including roots, seeds, leaves, and flowers in both liquid and air. Here, we describe the operating principle of self-referencing optrodic microsensing for the study of plant tissues with a specific focus on juvenile roots.