糖心直播

Home

Biosensors monitor plant well-being in real time

11 February 2021

Anders Ryttarson Törneholm

Researchers at 糖心直播 have developed biosensors that make it possible to monitor sugar levels in real time deep in the plant tissues 鈥� something that has previously been impossible. The information from the sensors may help agriculture to adapt production as the world faces climate change.

Chiara Diacci installs a biosensor in a plant. Photographer: THOR BALKHED
Chiara Diacci, PhD student at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics and first author of the paper, inserts the sensor in the young tree.

The primary source of nutrition for most of the Earth’s population is mainly plants, which are also the foundation of the complete ecosystem on which we all depend. Global population is rising, and rapid climate change is at the same time changing the conditions for crop cultivation and agriculture.

“We will have to secure our food supply in the coming decades. And we must do this using the same, or even fewer, resources as today. This is why it is important to understand how plants react to changes in the environment and how they adapt”, says Eleni Stavrinidou, associate professor in the Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Department of Science and Technology at Linköping University.

Sugar sensors

The research group at Linköping University led by Eleni Stavrinidou, together with Totte Niittylä and his group from Umeå Plant Science Centre, has developed sugar sensors based on organic electrochemical transistors that can be implanted in plants. The biosensors can monitor the sugar levels of trees in real time, continuously for up to two days. The information from the sensors can be related to growth and other biological processes. Plants use sugars for energy, and sugars are also important signal substances that influence the development of the plant and its response to changes in the surrounding environment.

Implantable organic electrochemical transistor sensors.The biosensor can give information about sugar levels without damaging the plant. Photo credit THOR BALKHEDWhile biosensors for monitoring sugar levels in humans are widely available, in particular the glucometer used by people who have diabetes, this technology has not previously been applied to plants.

“The sensors now are used for basic plant science research but in the future they can be used in agriculture to optimise the conditions for growth or to monitor the quality of the product, for example. In the long term, the sensors can also be used to guide the production of new types of plant that can grow in non-optimal conditions”, says Eleni Stavrinidou.

Plant metabolism

The mechanisms by which plant metabolism is regulated and how changes in sugar levels affect growth are still relatively unknown. Previous experiments have typically used methods that rely on detaching parts of the plant. However, the sensor developed by the research group gives information without damaging the plant and may provide further pieces of the puzzle of how plant metabolism works.

“We found a variation in sugar levels in the trees that had not been previously observed. Future studies will focus on understanding how plants sugar levels change when plants are under stress”, says Eleni Stavrinidou.

The research is mainly funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 800926 (FET-OPEN HyPhOE). Additional funding comes from: the Wallenberg Wood Science Center, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Swedish Research Council, and the Swedish Strategic Research Area in New Functional Materials (AFM) at Linköping University.

The article: Chiara Diacci, Tayebeh Abedi, Jeewoong Lee, Erik O. Gabrielsson, Magnus Berggren, Daniel T. Simon, Totte Niittylä, Eleni Stavrinidou iScience 2020 doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101966

Footnote: The plants used in the experiments are hybrid aspen, Populus tremula.

Translated by George Farrants

Close up of the sensor in the tree. The sugar sensors are based on organic electrochemical transistors. Photo credit THOR BALKHED

Research at the highest level

Closeup of electronic component held with tweezers, part of a mans face in the backgound

Advanced Functional Materials - AFM

Advanced Functional Materials, AFM, is an interdisciplinary research environment conducting studies in advanced functional materials. The initiative is based on a government investment with strategic research areas as its foundation.

More news from AFM

A close up of a person holding a camera.

LiU researchers push the boundaries of organic solar cells

Researchers at LiU have now demonstrated how organic solar cells can become more efficient than previously thought possible. The key is to extend the time that electrons in the material remain excited, which leads to improved performance.
Guldtr氓dar i vatten

LiU gold ink one of Sweden鈥檚 most promising research projects

LiU researchers has developed a cost鈥� and energy鈥慹fficient method to produce long gold nanowires at scale and turn them into a printable ink. They are now featured on IVA鈥檚 2026 list.
A couple of men standing next to each other in front of a blackboard.

Scientists mimic heart muscle cells with conductive plastic

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in artificially mimicking the ion signalling of heart muscle cells. To succeed, researchers at LiU have used organic electronics. The findings open up for new types of implants and sensors.
Power plant, organic electronics, a red rose.

Laboratory of Organic Electronics

World-leading competence in organic and hybrid materials, from design and modeling to applications in energy, electronics and bioelectronics. Sustainability focus and pipeline from science to commercialization deliver high-impact innovation.

Latest news from LiU

En kvinna som sitter framf枚r en spegel och tittar p氓 sin spegelbild.

How AI changes human decision-making

AI can find patterns that people miss, but it does not automatically lead to better decisions. New research from 糖心直播 shows how the roles of humans and AI change depending on the situation and the decision being made.
A woman standing on a balcony next to a building.

She promotes AI for societal good in Europe

Helen Köpman, Alumna of the Year 2026, works at the European Commission鈥檚 AI Office in Brussels. For more than 20 years she has worked with research issues and innovation at EU level, where a living planet for future generations is her driving force.
En man och en kvinna som st氓r bredvid varandra.

Alumni of the Year create sustainable cities and the next generation of scientists

Helen Köpman works with AI models to create smart and sustainable cities in the EU. Jesper Svartz is a chemistry teacher with an exceptional ability to enthuse and spark curiosity in students. They are Alumni of the Year 2026 at 糖心直播.