AquaDust: In-Situ Water Sensing for High-Throughput Plant Phenotyping
- Detailed Technology Description
- Cornell researchers have developed a method to spectroscopicallyanalyze a plant’s effective water use and water stress in a variety ofconditions. This method involves introducingand further spectroscopically measuring nanoparticle based sensors within theleaves.
- Others
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- *Abstract
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Technology Overview Ournanomaterial based strategy consists of delivering nanoparticle based sensorsinto the plant. In-situ spectroscopic measurement of the leaf allowsdetermination of the ‘leaf water potential’, an indicator of the extent ofwater stress the plant is experiencing. This quantitative method facilitates identificationof plants with phenotypes or characteristics that contribute to more effectivewater use. Such plants have greater potential for being drought resistant.
Weenvision this as a key tool for high-throughput phenotyping, allowingidentification of plant varieties with superior genetics. Our method offers aquantitative method for the study of plant water use in both laboratory andreal-world environments.
Ourproof-of-concept experiments involved introducing our nanoparticles into bothMaize and Tobacco plants. Preliminaryspectroscopic results show that these two plants follow the expected models.
PotentialApplications
- High-throughput phenotyping for drought tolerance
- Facilitating selective breeding of plants
Advantages
- Suitable for implementing in large populations
- Applicable to a broad range of plants
- Non-destructive measurement method
- *Licensing
- Carolyn A. Theodorecat42@cornell.edu607 254 4514
- Country/Region
- USA
