Researchers have developed a new stick-on sensor that provides early detection of plant stress to help gardeners and farmers provide care and prevent damage.
Various environmental factors that can stress out plants, just like people, and knowing that a problem exists before things get out of hand can help growers respond appropriately.
Factors such as pests, droughts, extreme temperatures, and infections cause plants to produce hydrogen peroxide, which acts as a signal between cells to activate defense mechanisms, as the American Chemical Society detailed.
To help track this, researchers from Iowa State University developed an electrochemical sensor that attaches to the underside of plant leaves using microscopic needles. It can convert small changes in hydrogen peroxide production into differences in electrical current to sound the alarm.
The report explained that previous methods involved removing plant parts, followed by multiple processing steps, or using external detectors to observe fluorescence changes, which tend to get "muddled by chlorophyll."
Some even used plant-wearable devices to track leaf water content, which led Liang Dong and colleagues to develop their hydrogen peroxide-sensing version.
They tested their device on live, healthy soybean and tobacco plants and compared the data to that of bacteria-infected plants. Crops infected with the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 produced more electrical current than the healthy ones. Lab analysis further confirmed these findings.
About one minute after applying their sensor, they were able to measure hydrogen peroxide in the leaves at significantly lower levels than other needle-like sensors, as the report noted. The devices can be used up to around nine times before their microscopic needles lose their sticking power.
Similar research has been used to track key signaling proteins that regulate silicon, which is essential for some plants in defending against environmental stresses. That data was used to optimize fertilizer levels.
The patch sensor that Dong and colleagues developed could prove to be an affordable and effective way forward for farmers looking to increase yields, maintain healthy crops, and track their plants' overall well-being.
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Several hours a week 🧑🌾 Given the risks posed to crops by extreme weather conditions such as droughts, storms, and floods — all of which can be made stronger, longer, and more intense because of rising global temperatures — these early-warning sensors could also help farmers track environmental changes in real time. The ability to react to situations quickly could help increase food security across the globe.
More work is needed, however, to bring this technology out of the lab and into the field.
"This breakthrough will significantly streamline analysis, making it practical for farmers to use our patch sensor for real-time disease crop monitoring," Dong said, noting that it costs less than a dollar per test. "Our next step is to refine the technology and enhance its reusability."
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