![]()
Background: Controlling environmental conditions is critical for the production of agricultural crops, including food and plant-based commodities. To prevent massive loss of crops, farmers need to receive timely information about plant stress conditions. Proline is a key biomarker that accumulates in plants under various stress conditions, including drought, salinity, temperature extremes, and heavy metal exposure. Traditional methods for measuring proline require laboratory equipment and specialized training, making them impractical for field use. The need for simple, rapid, and cost-effective stress monitoring tools is essential for modern agriculture and crop management.
Technical Overview: This paper-based proline sensor can be used to analyze proline levels from plants and other food products. The user soaks the plant material in the provided liquid and adds the liquid to the sensor's sample well. The sensor produces a color change that can be read visually or with a smartphone app to determine proline concentrations. The system is based on bio-inspired colorimetric detection principles that provide rapid, quantitative results without requiring laboratory equipment. The sensor is designed to be stable, portable, and easy to use in field conditions.
Benefits:
- Disposable, paper-based
- Customizable
- Small size, portable
- Easy to read color change from green to red
- No laboratory equipment required
Application:
- Detects plant stress due to drought, excess salinity, heavy metals, temperature extremes, UV and other radiation
- Agricultural monitoring and crop management
- Food quality assessment
- Environmental stress monitoring
Opportunity:
- License
- Research collaboration
