Plant sensor can remotely track water levels - Earth.com

Plant sensor can remotely track water levels

02-01-2023

Today’s Video of the Day from the American Chemical Society describes a wearable sensor to help monitor the water levels of plants. 

When plants are in need of water, there are not always obvious signals. Plant leaves do not turn brown or shrivel until most of the water is gone. 

The new system is designed to detect water loss earlier. According to ACS, the system can wirelessly transmit data to a smartphone app, allowing for remote management of drought stress in gardens and crops.

“Impedimetric wearable sensors are a promising strategy for determining the loss of water content (LWC) from leaves because they can afford on-site and nondestructive quantification of cellular water from a single measurement,” explained the study authors. 

“Because the water content is a key marker of leaf health, monitoring of the LWC can lend key insights into daily practice in precision agriculture, toxicity studies, and the development of agricultural inputs.”

The experts have published their research in the ACS journal Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Video Credit: ACS

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

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