Highly Efficient Nanoscale Analysis of Plant Stomata and Cell Surface Using Polyaddition Silicone Rubber

Stomata control gas exchange and water transpiration and are one of the most important physiological apparatuses in higher plants. The regulation of stomatal aperture is closely coordinated with photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, plant growth, development, and so on. With advances in scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution images of plant stomata and cell surfaces can be obtained from detached plant tissues. However, this method does not allow for rapid analysis of the dynamic variation of plant stomata and cell surfaces in situ under nondestructive conditions. In this study, we demonstrated a novel plant surface impression technique (PSIT, Silagum-Light as correction impression material based on A-silicones for all two-phase impression techniques) that allows for precise analysis of plant stomata aperture and cell surfaces. Using this method, we successfully monitored the dynamic variation of stomata and observed the nanoscale microstructure of soybean leaf trichomes and dragonfly wings. Additionally, compared with the analytical precision and the time used for preparing the observation samples between PSIT and traditional SEM, the results suggested that the analytical precision of PSIT was the same to traditional SEM, but the PSIT was more easy to operate. Thus, our results indicated that PSIT can be widely applied to the plant science field.