Department of Plant Sciences

Reduction of cadmium (Cd) accumulation in farm products has become more and more important in order to produce them in a safe and sustainable manner. It is necessary to elucidate mechanisms of Cd distribution in plants. However, these mechanisms are not fully understood. The purpose of our work is to clarify these mechanisms by visualizing Cd absorption, transport and accumulation non-invasively using positron-emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS). ¹⁰⁷Cd (half-life: 6.5 hr) was used as a positron-emitting tracer in the PETIS experiments. We succeeded to obtain serial images of cadmium distribution in oilseed rape plants (Brassica napus L.). Strong ¹⁰⁷Cd signals were observed in the basal region of the shoot. We also could see strong signals in the node of oilseed rape plants. Cd distribution in oilseed rape plants will be discussed quantitatively using the results from PETIS experiments.