CD BioSciences is committed to providing our customers with mechanical analyses of large-scale leaf growth to help them better understand the behavioral patterns and mechanical properties of leaf tissue. Our expert technical support and high-quality scientific services will greatly accelerate your research in the field of plant biomechanics.
A growing leaf is a typical active solid because its active units, the cells, undergo local deformation during the out-of-equilibrium process of growth. During growth, the leaf expands by several orders of magnitude, but still maintains its proper shape, which is usually flat. This localized growth process is dependent on various factors of a mechanical and biochemical nature, such as osmotic pressure, cell wall properties and the interaction between neighboring cells.
The complex mechanisms that regulate the local, individual expansion of multiple cells to a well-defined shape have not yet been fully elucidated. Researchers at CD BioSciences have focused primarily on geometrical and mechanical aspects of large-scale leaf growth, such as viscous and elastic moduli, stress-strain response and the typical statistical properties of the growing field. We view the leaf as a thin sheet of active material that is able to adjust and respond to signals from its natural internal growth processes and surrounding environment to better understand the growth patterns and mechanical properties of the whole tissue.
Fig.1 (a) An example of the spatial growth field of a leaf and (b) a distribution of lateral growth values. (Sharon, 2018)
Our services include but are not limited to:
With many years of experience in the field of plant biomechanics, CD BioSciences is well placed to provide efficient mechanical analyses of leaf growth on large scales. Our dedicated technical team will constantly follow the progress of your project and provide you with the optimal solutions. If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more information.
Reference
CD BioSciences is a biotechnology company focused on biophysical services. We are proficient in both chemistry and biophysics, and have a comprehensive biophysical platform containing a wide range of advanced technologies.