Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IISOne of our principal research interests at present is the effect of external stress factors on the microstructure of plants. A chief focus is on the structure of the xylem architecture in the plant and how the plant reacts to effects such as drought stress. Under such conditions of stress, some plants stop supplying leaves or even whole branches with water. Another focus of research is on the manifestations of internal microstructures in plants with different genetic variances.