We demonstrate that optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a plausible optical tool for in vivo detection of plant seeds and its morphological changes during growth. To investigate the direct impact of salt stress on seed germination, the experiment was conducted using Capsicum annuum seeds that were treated with different molar concentrations of NaCl. To determine the optimal concentration for the seed growth, the seeds were monitored for nine consecutive days. In vivo two-dimensional OCT images of the treated seeds were obtained and compared with the images of seeds that were grown using sterile distilled water. The obtained results confirm the feasibility of using OCT for the proposed application. Normalized depth profile analysis was utilized to support the conclusions.
Keywords: Capsicum annuum; SS-OCT; germination; salt concentration.