In a recent study, researchers put the answer into maize leaves, which they chose, among other things, because the crop is an important source of food for the world. Nanosensors coated on the outside of the leaf cells, swelling or shrinking depending on the amount of water present.
AquaDust fluoresce molecules vary in space, depending on how close they are to each other, and the shape can be measured with a spectrometer. When water is readily available, nanoparticles swell, pushing the paint aside and making the length of the green paint come out. When there is not enough water, the nanoparticles dry out, and the dye comes close together, resulting in a yellowish-brown color. Researchers can then calculate the calculation of the plant’s water level, all without damaging the plant.
The method can be used in various parts of the site to monitor the flow of water, says Piyush Jain, a PhD specialist in Cornell. “What allows us to do this is to compare the flow of water through different channels, from the stem to the different parts of the page,” he says.
The researchers placed their AquaDust standards in the area at the bottom of the page, where the plants perform important functions such as collecting CO2, releasing water vapor into the atmosphere, and transporting the sugar produced by photosynthesis. Producing plants that manage water better, have a better understanding of biology and how water resides in such difficult environments can be very useful, say researchers.
Finally, this technique can be applied to real-world situations, such as for field workers or in green spaces. It would be possible one day to pump AquaDust water on the field and use a multispectral camera to quickly test the water potential of hundreds of plants.
And while this is still a long way off, AquaDust sounds like a practical expertise, says Irwin Goldman, a professor of florology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who did not participate in the study. “Using any kind of remote technology — in this case using nanosensors — is a huge jump,” he says. “My opinion on this technology is that it is future, real.”
Farmers are focusing on making drought-resistant crops for a while, Goldman said. “For the past 15 years or so, there has been a growing community of ideas that we need to incorporate alternatives that will strengthen our crops as part of our programs, that it is not enough just to be more productive or better, or disease resistant,” he said. which plant is most resistant to water loss and which genes are linked to courage, before combining them with other essential nutrients such as food and aroma. “Once we identify genes, they are very helpful, but they do not lead us to the end of the process,” he said. . ”
Currently, AquaDust is a research tool, not something that can be customized for farmers or breeders to use, to test 1,000 prices in one hour. First of all, the solution to the injection contains water, which must be evaporated before anyone tries. Jain notes: “We wait a day for the page to return to normal.
AquaDust operating systems and calculation methods need to be developed before they can be ready for large scale measurements or commercialization. But in the meantime, a better understanding of how water flows through trees can help researchers solve some of the mysteries. One of them, says Stroock, is that if the plant allows the inside of its leaves, called mesophyll, to dry. For many years, the most common wisdom was to avoid this, but unknown measure and other labs Now show that it is possible. Being able to test this directly with AquaDust could completely change how we feel about water and how it tackles the problems caused by the internal muscle, he says.
“We hope there are more interesting questions to answer in the lab that are more advanced than advertising,” says Stroock. “Right now, Iowa farmers are not calling us, ‘Can we cover our field with AquaDust?'”
Those farmers may be waiting for the rain. But, one day, technology like nanosensors can help them when those expectations are dry.
Many Great Stories
Source link
