Casting light on xylem vulnerability in an herbaceous species reveals a lack of segmentation

What is it about?

Little is known about xylem vulnerability to embolism at a whole-plant scale or propagation of embolism within plants. We used multiple visual techniques to investigate the spread of embolism within intact stems, leaves and roots of tomato. We found that roots, stems and leaves of tomato plants all exhibited similar vulnerability to embolism, suggesting that embolism rapidly propagates among tissues.

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