Electrical Signals in Plants and their utilization in cultivation: A new method for detecting hidden Threats

Plants continuously communicate between roots and shoots and respond to environmental changes. Small electrical signals, resulting from ion movement, are one of the mechanisms of information transmission. The Swiss company Vivent Biosignals has developed a technology that utilizes these electrical signals for a more sustainable agriculture.

Vivent Biosignals’ sensors record the electrical signals of plants, and through machine learning, the data obtained from these signals can be interpreted from an agricultural perspective. This enables the diagnosis of a wide range of threats to plants, such as soil pathogens. Farmers receive alerts before visible symptoms appear, helping to combat threats in a timely manner. Vivent’s biosensors can detect soil pests, fungal diseases, and nutrient deficiencies, which are often difficult to detect with other technologies.

Damage caused by diseases and pests is often detected only when the infestation is significant. Using electrical signals, contamination can be detected several days earlier. For instance, at Wageningen University, changes in the electrophysiology of strawberries caused by thrips were detected within two days, while leaf damage became visible only after 5-6 days.

In a Dutch study, Vivent Biosignals technology was used on tomato seedlings to detect root-knot nematodes through plant electrophysiology. The machine learning model was able to monitor the stress caused by the nematodes in real-time and assess the effectiveness of nematicides. This new monitoring method is particularly useful for detecting invisible soil plant parasitic nematodes.

This article was published in the Finish Trädgärdsbladet edition 8/2024.