Event Title
A Wearable Plant Biosensor for Real-time Detection of Salinity Stress
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Shawana Tabassum
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Date of Publication
April 2021
Abstract
Soil salinity is one of the major threats to plant growth and development impacting crop yield, yet there is no wearable sensor on the market today that can monitor the impact of salinity stress on plants in real-time for automated, precise, and personalized use of resources. Plants release a panel of phytohormones in response to salinity stress, and the levels of these phytohormones are altered prior to any visual symptoms. We are developing an integrated crop-wearable sensing platform comprising a hollow microneedle structure for collecting sap from plant stem and a low-cost screen-printed electrochemical sensor for detecting two key salinity stress-related phytohormones, salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) in the collected sap. Considering plant stem structure, sap properties, and sap flow, the hollow microneedle has a length of 3500µm, an inner diameter of 100µm, and tip angle of 15°. The electrochemical sensor has two working electrodes, one counter electrode, and a reference electrode where the working electrodes will be modified with non-enzymic coatings for selective detection of SA and JA. The sensor is estimated to fit in a 1cm x 1cm chamber. The electrochemical sensor can be readily reconfigured and expanded to monitor other biomarkers for environmental stresses, including drought/floods, temperature variations, soil nutrient/pH deficiencies, and pest as well as herbivore attacks. Thus, this sensing platform is expected to revolutionize the field of wearable sensors for plants and automate optimal application of agrochemicals. We envision that the mass deployment of the device in agricultural settings will enable farmers to make efficient and site-specific use of resources, which will reduce the environmental stress-related yield losses.
Zoom Link
https://uttyler.zoom.us/j/99124931036?pwd=YVYwME0vYkdPZi9GWVV3SnJ3cnJCZz09 (passcode: lyceum)
Keywords
Wearable, Plant biosensor, Salinity stress
Persistent Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/3125
A Wearable Plant Biosensor for Real-time Detection of Salinity Stress
Soil salinity is one of the major threats to plant growth and development impacting crop yield, yet there is no wearable sensor on the market today that can monitor the impact of salinity stress on plants in real-time for automated, precise, and personalized use of resources. Plants release a panel of phytohormones in response to salinity stress, and the levels of these phytohormones are altered prior to any visual symptoms. We are developing an integrated crop-wearable sensing platform comprising a hollow microneedle structure for collecting sap from plant stem and a low-cost screen-printed electrochemical sensor for detecting two key salinity stress-related phytohormones, salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) in the collected sap. Considering plant stem structure, sap properties, and sap flow, the hollow microneedle has a length of 3500µm, an inner diameter of 100µm, and tip angle of 15°. The electrochemical sensor has two working electrodes, one counter electrode, and a reference electrode where the working electrodes will be modified with non-enzymic coatings for selective detection of SA and JA. The sensor is estimated to fit in a 1cm x 1cm chamber. The electrochemical sensor can be readily reconfigured and expanded to monitor other biomarkers for environmental stresses, including drought/floods, temperature variations, soil nutrient/pH deficiencies, and pest as well as herbivore attacks. Thus, this sensing platform is expected to revolutionize the field of wearable sensors for plants and automate optimal application of agrochemicals. We envision that the mass deployment of the device in agricultural settings will enable farmers to make efficient and site-specific use of resources, which will reduce the environmental stress-related yield losses.
Comments
Waqar commented "Where can we purchase it?"