Measurement of changes in water thickness in plant materials using very low-energy neutron radiography

Low-energy neutron radiographic images of Hedera leaves were obtained using the very cold neutron (VCN) beam at Institut Laue-Langevin, France. A change in hydrogen concentration measured in a short period by means of neutron radiography indicates a change in water concentration in the plant. A regression model was evaluated to estimate changes in water thickness of the leaves and, the resolution of this method was smaller than 5 μm. The method was effective to measure small changes in water thickness of thin plant leaves.