Plant bioelectronics: regulating and monitoring plant physiology in-vivo

Plants are the basis of food, providers of oxygens and regulators of the ecosystem. We are developing bioelectronic technologies for real time monitoring and dynamic control of plant physiology. We developed an implantable device for controlled delivery of phytohormones with high precision in dose and minimal wound response from the plant. The capillary-based organic electronic ion pump can be implanted into the leaf of intact plants and efficiently deliver ABA, one of the main hormones that mediates plant responses to stress. In addition, we are developing sugars sensors based on the organic electrochemical transistor for real time monitoring in trees. The OECTs sensors show high device to device reproducibility and stability during the operation in the in-vivo environment. The sensors reveal sugars transport kinetics that are observed for the first time. Our work sets the way to establish these devices for fundamental research but also for application in agriculture and forestry.