The next thing you may be using in your center-pivot irrigation systems may be a ‘plant tattoo.’
The new technology, developed by Iowa State University researchers and engineers, is showing great promise according to Patrick Schnable, who is heading the project.
“The tattoo is a monolayer of graphene oxide,” says the director of the Plant Sciences Institute at the university. “This particular compound that, when it interacts with water, the electrical conductivity changes.”
The very thin layer of graphene oxide is placed on the underside of a leaf. If an electrical current is run through it, the amount of moisture between the leaf and the tattoo is revealed.
“So, it’s a sensor for how much water the plant is losing through transpiration.”
Schnable and colleagues see several important applications for the technology.
“One possibility is being able to breed crops that are more water efficient. The second is this will be a great tool for controlling irrigation systems.
“Where there are a lot of center-pivots, you can imagine having these tattoos on a sampling of plants in a whole section of a field. Those would be talking wirelessly to a controller at the wellhead and that would tell the center-pivot exactly how much water to put out as it moves around the circumference of the field.”
How did the idea for the tattoos come up?
“I’m a plant biologist and about three years ago I was appointed to my current role. For years, I’ve wanted to engage engineers and show them the very exciting and high-impact challenges we face in agriculture.