Communications of the ACM
Wearable Technology for Plants
Impedimetric wearable sensors are a promising strategy for determining the loss of water content from leaves.
Credit: Júlia A. Barbosa et al
Researchers have developed a wearable sensor for plant leaves that enables remote management of drought stress in gardens and farms.
The goal is to detect water loss early, as visual signs like shriveling or browning leaves emerge when most of the plant's water is gone.
The researchers developed one electrode comprised of nickel, and another made from partially burnt paper coated with a waxy film.
In a test of the electrodes on detached soybean leaves, the researchers found the nickel-based electrodes adhered better to the leaves and generated larger signals as the leaves dried out.
Using the nickel-based electrodes, the researchers then created a wearable device and attached it to a living plant.
They used a machine learning technique to convert the data, which was transmitted wirelessly by the device to a smartphone app and website, to the percent of water content lost.
From American Chemical Society
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