Micro-respiratory measurements in plants

Respiratory measurement in plants is one of the commonly used techniques to assess metabolic activity and in vivo redox state of plant mitochondria. However, respiration rate monitoring of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) remains a challenge for researchers due to the small size of its organs. In this chapter we introduce adaptations to micro-respiratory technologies to study three tissues of special interest to plant biologists: leaf sections, root tips, and seeds in this model plant species. This assay opens up new possibilities to screen and study mutants and to identify differences in ecotypes or populations of plants.