b'FIELDS OF THE FUTUREmagnets alter their course, they naturally emit a very brilliant, highly focused light.A synchrotron can be used to probe matter and analyze a host of physical, chemical, geological and biological processes.With a family background in farmingTHERES A FALSE PERCEPTION AMONG THE PUBLIC THAT and an interest in plant-borne diseases from a young age, her research interestsAGRICULTURE IS KIND OF OLD-FASHIONED AND SLOW TO started by using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy of agricultural and foodCHANGE. THATS NOT AT ALL TRUE.science systems.Maria DeRosaThe synchrotron produces infrared light, soft X-rays and hard X-rays. With these different types of light, we can look at different things in plant and food sam-ples. You can look through the internal structures, you can look at three-dimen-sional internal and external structures, as well as cellular and sub-cellular inclusions in plant samples, she says.More than a million times brighter than the sun, the synchrotron can look through any part of the plant or plant structures.For me, the most interesting thing that always stands out in my mind is the vascular system in plants. Its what carries nutrients and water through different parts of the plant. Using the synchrotron, we can look at the vascular system in even in seeds. The resolution that we get through the X-ray images in the synchrotron is incredible. We can look at the seeds cell wall composition on the nanoscale.Karunakaran was completing her mas-ters and PhD at the University of Manitoba when she began using optical light/X-rays to look at seed quality, looking through seeds for signs of insects. It was when she caught the bug, no pun intended, for peer-ing inside the tiny structures.With new breeding techniques such as CRISPR emerging, she says the synchro-trons potential for helping revolutionize seed science is great.If we can combine genetics with thisA germinated canola seed as shown in a photo generated by the Canadian Light Source technology, I think thats the future. Rightsynchrotron. Photo courtesy Canadian Light Sourcenow, gene expressions are done differ-ently. Researchers extract the RNA or DNA samples. Every gene has a function, either regulating a structure or plant biochemis- If we can do that together with a gene expression, we can identify the try. With the synchrotron we can observegenes responsible for disease resistance or drought resistance or cold toler-both the seed structure and its biochemis- ance, and that will be very useful for a plant breeding program to develop try, she says. crops with the traits that breeders and industry are interested in. 22GERMINATION.CANOVEMBER 2021'