Author
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Livingston, David |
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Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 5/2/2018 Publication Date: 3/12/2018 Citation: Livingston, D.P. 2018. Investigating freezing patterns in plants using infrared thermography. In: Iwaya-Inoue M., Sakurai M., Uemura M. (eds) Survival Strategies in Extreme Cold and Desiccation. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1081. Springer, Singapore. Book Chapter. p. 117-127. Interpretive Summary: Infrared radiation was discovered in 1800 and was gradually adapted for use in the military and medicine. In 1995 the first use for studying freezing in plants was published. When water freezes it gives off heat and that heat can be imaged by cameras that are able to capture infrared radiation. Since its development, infrared thermography has been used in plants to identify barriers to freezing, specific sites of ice nucleation, direction and speed of ice propagation, specific structures that supercool and temperatures at which they finally freeze. No other technology has had a greater impact on the study of freezing in plants than infrared thermography. Technical Abstract: Since the discovery of infrared radiation in 1800 the improvement of technology to detect and image infrared (IR) has led to numerous breakthroughs in several scientific fields of study. The principle that heat is released when water freezes and the ability to image this release of heat using IR thermography (IRT) has allowed an unprecedented understanding of freezing in plants. Since the first published report of the use of IRT to study freezing in plants, numerous informative discoveries have been reported. Examples include: barriers to freezing, specific sites of ice nucleation, direction and speed of ice propagation, specific structures that supercool and temperatures at which they finally freeze. These and other observations underscore the significance of this important technology on plant research. |
