Real-time monitoring of plant stresses via chemiresistive profiling of leaf volatiles by a wearable sensor

Determination of plant stresses such as infections by plant pathogens is currently dependent on time-consuming and complicated analytical technologies. Here, we report a leaf-attachable chemiresistive sensor array for real-time fingerprinting of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that permits noninvasive and early diagnosis of plant diseases, such as late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans. The imperceptible sensor patch integrates an array of graphene-based sensing materials and flexible silver nanowire electrodes on a kirigami-inspired stretchable substrate, which can minimize strain interference. The sensor patch has been mounted on live tomato plants to profile key plant volatiles at low-ppm concentrations with fast response ( 20 s). The multiplexed sensor array allows for accurate detection and classification of 13 individual plant volatiles with 97% classification accuracy. The wearable sensor patch was used to diagnose tomato late blight as early as 4 days post inoculation and abiotic stresses such as mechanical damage within 1 h.

Automated summary

An innovative leaf-attachable sensor array has been developed for real-time diagnosis of plant diseases, achieving 97% classification accuracy of 13 individual plant volatiles. The sensor patch allows for rapid profiling of plant volatiles and early diagnosis of diseases like late blight within less than a week post inoculation.