Detached Maize Sheaths for Live-Cell Imaging of Infection by Fungal Foliar Maize PathogensRenata Belisário 1, Maria F. Torres 1,2, Ester A. S. Buiate 1,3, Katia V. Xavier 1,4, Etta M. Nuckles 1, Lisa J. Vaillancourt 1
1Department of Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky, 2Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 3Bayer Crop Science, 4Everglades Research and Education Center, University of Florida
This manuscript details an optimized inoculation protocol that uses detached maize leaf sheaths for reproducible cytological, physiological, and molecular studies of maize interactions with fungal plant pathogens. The leaf sheaths facilitate real-time observation of cellular interactions between the living plant and fungus in unfixed tissues.
