Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed electronic patches that can be applied to plant leaves to monitor crops for various pathogens, such as viral and fungal infections, and stresses such as drought and salinity.
In tests, researchers found that the patch was able to detect viral infections in tomatoes more than a week before growers could detect visible symptoms of the disease.
“This is important because it allows growers to identify plant diseases and fungal infections at an early stage, so they can reduce the spread of disease and save their crops,” said the corresponding author of the study. Mr. Qingshan Wei, an assistant in the field, said. Professor of Chemistry and Biomolecular Engineering in North Carolina.
“Furthermore, if growers can more quickly identify abiotic stresses, such as irrigation water contaminated by saltwater intrusion, they can address the associated challenges and improve crop yields.”
The technology builds on previous prototype patches that detected plant diseases by monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by plants. Plants emit different combinations of VOCs under different circumstances. By targeting VOCs associated with specific diseases or plant stresses, sensors can alert users to specific problems.
“The new patch incorporates additional sensors that can monitor temperature, environmental humidity, and the amount of water that plants exhale through their leaves,” said Yong Zhu, co-author of the paper Andrew A. Adams. I’m here. Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University.
The patch itself is small (just 30 mm long) and consists of a flexible material containing sensors and silver nanowire-based electrodes. Patches are placed on the underside of leaves where stomata are dense. These are the stomata that allow plants to “breathe” by exchanging gases with the environment.
The researchers tested the new patches on tomato plants in a greenhouse and experimented with patches incorporating different combinations of sensors. Tomato plants were infected with three different pathogens. early blight, which is a fungal infection; late blight is a type of pathogen called oomycetes. The plants were also exposed to a variety of abiotic stresses, including watering, drought, lack of light, and high salinity in the water.
Researchers took data from these experiments and plugged them into artificial intelligence programs to determine which sensor combinations worked best in identifying both disease and abiotic stress.
“The results of detecting all these issues were encouraging overall,” says Wei. “For example, using a combination of three sensors on the patch, we found that TSWV could be detected four days after the plants were first infected. This is a big advantage because it doesn’t start showing.”
Researchers say we are two steps away from having a patch that growers can use. First, the patch has to be wireless. This is a relatively simple task. The patch should then be tested outside the greenhouse to ensure that it works under real conditions.
“We are currently looking for industry and agricultural partners to further develop and test this technology,” says Zhu. “This could be an important advance that helps growers prevent small problems from becoming big ones and helps them meet food security challenges in a meaningful way.”
Original: Multifunctional patch for early detection of plant diseases and other crop threats
Than: North Carolina State University
