Analysis of Cauline Leaf Development in Arabidopsis thaliana Using Time-Lapse Confocal Microscopy

Understanding cellular growth dynamics in plants requires precise, long-term imaging of developing tissues. Cauline leaves are produced during the transition from vegetative to reproductive development and provide a useful system for studying how laminar organs diversify in form and function. While other laminar organs, such as rosette leaves and sepals, have been extensively studied, early cauline leaf development remains technically challenging to capture due to their concealed position, curved morphology, and the presence of dense trichomes. Here, we provide a complete pipeline for the dissection, confocal imaging, 2.5D segmentation, and image analysis of initiating cauline leaves in Arabidopsis thaliana. This method enables reproducible, high-resolution imaging of cauline leaves, supporting robust quantitative analysis of growth across developmental stages at cellular scale resolution. Key features • Fine dissection method for exposing initiating cauline leaves in Arabidopsis thaliana. • Long-term confocal live imaging of cauline leaf development at cellular resolution. • Optimized imaging parameters for high-fidelity 2.5D segmentation and growth analysis in MorphoGraphX.