Computational wide-field imaging of poplar embolism and wound-response with a deployable microscope

Low-cost, minimally invasive microscopy for tracking cellular dynamics in living plants within their natural ecosystems is crucial for addressing fundamental questions in plant ecology and biology. However, existing solutions are constrained by coarse resolution, limited field-of-view (FoV), and poor deployability in natural settings. Here, we utilize a compact, portable microscope (“miniscope”) for label-free (autofluorescence) imaging in living poplar wood. We systematically implement and evaluate multiple computational methods to enhance resolution and FoV. Our optimal computational pipeline, comprising maximal intensity projection, deconvolution, and flat-field correction, increases resolution by up to 39% on-axis and up to 49% at the field edges, resolving features of 2.87 μm, averaged over a FoV of ∼1 mm (diameter), compared with a 4.34 μm baseline. We demonstrate microscopy within the tissue of a living poplar plant in our greenhouse, observing the embolism of vessel elements, wound response, and tissue deformation from moisture evaporation.