Canadian Light Source Plant scientists discuss how sophisticated imaging facility may shed new light on crop development
Plant scientists from around the world were in Saskatoon last week for a high-level brainstorming session aimed at increasing scientific knowledge of common crops such as wheat and canola.
Approximately 200 researchers attended the Synchrotron Imaging for Crop Improvement Workshop, which was held June 10-12 in Saskatoon.
Saskatoon is home to the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, a sophisticated imaging machine that uses beams of light to examine materials in minute detail.
Synchrotron imaging has been used for years in fields of study such as medical research and engineering.
Read Also
Ag in Motion innovation awards showcase top 2025 ag technology
The 2025 Ag in Motion Innovation Awards celebrated winners across five categories: agronomics, agtech, business solutions, environmental sustainability and equipment.
Only recently have plant scientists begun using the machine to take a closer look at the inner workings of complex plants systems such as root structures, flowers and physiological responses to pathogens.
Last week’s workshop, sponsored by Ag-West Bio and the Canadian Light Source, was aimed at exploring the application of synchrotron light for imaging plants.
Wilf Keller, president and chief executive officer of Ag-West Bio, said the use of synchrotron imaging by plant scientists is in its early stages.
However, the information gleaned through facilities such as the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon could have far-reaching benefits.
“This is by no means a tool that’s going to be used in plant breeding in the next little while,” Keller said.
“But it’s going to help set the stage for some basic information that can be used to develop new varieties down the road.”
Keller said synchrotron imaging could be used to examine many parts of a plant including seeds, roots and flowers.
For example, learning more about root density and root structure could reveal important clues about a plant’s ability to use water and nutrients.
“Roots have been kind of elusive to work with because it’s hard to study them … hard to see them,” he said.
“But with the type of technology that’s now available at the synchrotron, it will be possible to peer into that root to look at the internal structures, not just the surface.”
Similarly, plant scientists who use light beams to examine root structures could also glean important information about susceptibility to root borne diseases and the formation of root nodules by common pulse crops.
“We may be able to get some important clues so that we can make these plants even better fixers and trappers of nitrogen,” he said.
Plant pathologists could also gain clues about a plant’s susceptibility to common diseases such as fusarium, sclerotinia and clubroot.
“The very early stages of infection are still a bit of a black box to us, so this is something that the (synchrotron) research might be able to uncover.”
Through the Agriculture Development Fund, the Saskatchewan government has already committed $250,000 to a proof-of-concept project that will use the synchrotron to study the structures of various crops grown in the province.
The Synchrotron Light for Crop Improvement project will use the CLS facility in Saskatoon to look at seed, root and flowering structures of wheat, canola and lentils and other common agricultural crops.
