Abstract
The scanning electron microscopy is an ideal technique for examining plant surface at high resolution. Most hydrate samples, however, must be fix and dehydrate for observation in the scanning electron microscope. Because the microscopes operate under high vacuum, most specimens, especially biological samples, cannot withstand water removal by the vacuum system without morphological distortion. Cryo-techniques can observe in their original morphology and structure without various artifacts from conventional sample preparation. Rapid cooling is the method of choice for preparing plant samples for scanning electron microscopy in a defined physiological state. As one of cryo-technique, high-pressure freezing allows for fixation of native non-pretreated samples up to $200{\mu}M$ thick and 2 mm wide with minimal or no ice crystal damage for the freezing procedure. In this study, we could design to optimize structural preservation and imaging by comparing cryo-SEM and convention SEM preparation, and observe a fine, well preserved Arabidopsis stem's inner ultrastructure using HPF and cryo-SEM. These results would suggest a useful method of cryo-preparation and cryo-SEM for plant tissues, especially intratubule and vacuole rich structure.
