用于根系表型观察的含铜水凝胶基透明土壤

Copper Containing Hydrogel-based Transparent Soil for Root Phenotype Observation

水凝胶基透明土壤以廉价的方式解决了土壤不可见性的问题,极大地降低了根系表型观察的成本,因而受到广泛关注。已报道的水凝胶基透明土壤由低酰基结冷胶与海藻酸钠作为凝胶骨架,Mg2+作为交联剂,通过滴球法制备,但在吸收营养液后极易被微生物污染,限制了其在普通环境中的使用。本研究在已报道的水凝胶珠的基础上,通过浸入微量Cu^(2+),降低微生物对其透过率的影响,在经过60天的使用后,透过率仍保持在90%以上。当Cu^(2+)浓度达到5×10^(-5)mol·L^(-1)时,油菜根系在根长、根表面积、平均根径以及根体积等根系形状表型上的结果与不含铜的透明土壤具有相似性,证明该水凝胶珠可作为在普通条件下进行油菜根系表型观察的基质。

Hydrogel-based transparent soil has received widespread attention because it cheaply solves the problem of soil invisibility,greatly reducing the cost of root phenotype observation.The reported hydrogelbased transparent soil consists of low acyl gellan gum and sodium alginate as the gel skeleton,Mg^(2+)as the cross-linking agent,and is prepared by the drop ball method.However,it is easily contaminated by microorganisms after absorbing the nutrient solution,which limits its use in ordinary environments.Based on the reported hydrogel beads,this work reduces the impact of microorganisms on their permeability by immersing trace amounts of Cu^(2+).After 60 days of use,the permeability still remains above 90%.When the Cu^(2+)concentration reaches 5×10^(-5) mol·L^(-1),the root shape phenotypes of rapeseed roots such as root length,root surface area,average root diameter,and root volume are similar to those of transparent soil without copper,proving that the hydrogel beads can be used as a matrix for phenotypic observation of rapeseed roots under ordinary conditions.