Comparison and development of scanning electron microscope techniques for delicate plant tissues

Abstract

Cell deformation often occurs during sample preparation and imaging with scanning electron microscope (SEM), especially with delicate samples, which influences the accuracy of the results. Here we investigate the influence of several preparation methods on cell deformation, using water content and tissue hardness as indicators to classify “delicate” samples of plant species. The degree of deformation in samples resulting from five preparation methods was measured at the tissue and single-cell levels, revealing that a cryo- and methanol-fixation produced lower degrees of tissue dimension deformation and better preservation of cell shape for delicate samples, while for harder tissues, other preparation methods for a dehydrated specimen are also suitable. Stability and image quality of delicate samples could be improved with the application of a cryo-protectant combined with a lower cryo-stage temperature, e.g. − 30 °C. We show that the sample stability under the beam was improved by combining larger sample size and cryo-stage application. Furthermore, the influence of adaxial and abaxial tissue surfaces, the accelerating voltage, and sputter coating time on sample stability and image quality was evaluated. Our study is valuable for artifact reduction and easy application of SEM.