A New Wearable Technology — for Plants

Plants can’t speak up when they are thirsty. And visual signs, such as shriveling or browning leaves, don’t start until it’s too late. Metal electrodes have previously been used to monitor thirsty plants, but it’s difficult attaching them to hairy leaves. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have created a wearable sensor for plant leaves that stays put, and makes it easy to remotely manage plants’ water stress.