Recent 1D and 2D TD–NMR Pulse Sequences for Plant Science

Abstract

Time domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD–NMR) has been widely applied in plant science in the last four decades. Several TD–NMR instruments and methods have been developed for laboratory, green-house, and field studies. This mini-review focuses on the recent TD–NMR pulse sequences applied in plant science. One of the sequences measures the transverse relaxation time (T2) with minimal sample heating, using a lower refocusing flip angle and consequently lower specific absorption rate than that of conventional CPMG. Other sequences are based on a continuous wave free precession (CWFP) regime used to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, to measure longitudinal (T1) and transverse relaxation time in a single shot experiment, and as alternative 2D pulse sequences to obtain T1–T2 and diffusion-T1 correlation maps. This review also presents some applications of these sequences in plant science.