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Background Water content variation during plant growth is one of the most important monitoring parameters in plant studies. Conventional parameters (such as dry weight) are unreliable; thus, the development of rapid, accurate methods that will allow the monitoring of water content variation in live plants is necessary. In this study, we aimed to develop a non-invasive, radiofrequency-based monitoring system to rapidly and accurately detect water content variation in live plants. The changes in standing wave ratio (SWR) caused by the presence of stem water and magnetic particles in the stem water flow were used as the basis of plant monitoring systems. Results The SWR of a coil probe was used to develop a non-invasive monitoring system to detect water content variation in live plants. When water was added to the live experimental plants with or without illumination under drought conditions, noticeable SWR changes at various frequencies were observed. When a fixed frequency (1.611 GHz) was applied to a single experimental plant (Radermachera sinica), a more comprehensive monitoring, such as water content variation within the plant and the effect of illumination on water content, was achieved. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that the SWR of a coil probe could be used as a real-time, non-invasive, non-destructive parameter for detecting water content variation and practical vital activity in live plants. Our non-invasive monitoring method based on SWR may also be applied to various plant studies.

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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