Application of the OECT-Based In Vivo Biosensor Bioristor in Fruit Tree Monitoring to Improve Agricultural Sustainability

Abstract

Water scarcity is a major concern in agriculture worldwide. Fruit trees are severely affected by water deprivation in terms of growth, fruit yield, and quality. Plant monitoring combined with efficient irrigation is pivotal to achieve good quality standards and improve agricultural sustainability. This study reports the use of in vivo sensing technology to monitor fruit tree species continuously, in real time and in vivo, through an Organic Electrochemical Transistor (OECT)-based biosensor called Bioristor. The sensor was applied to grapevines, apples, and kiwis, revealing its capability to trace the plant water status for the whole productive cycle. A correlation between the sensor response index (R) and environmental parameters such as air humidity and temperature were recorded for fruit species. The day/night oscillation of the ionic content in the transpiration stream varies during plant growth and fruit maturation and during severe drought stress. Bioristor promptly detected the occurrence of drought stress. The gate current (Igs) trend supports the reduction in the saturation of the system due to the lower water availability. The use of Bioristor-acquired indices can be used to improve precision irrigation techniques according to the real plant needs.