Electric Impedance Spectroscopy in Trees Condition Analysis: Theory and Experiment

Abstract

Electric impedance spectroscopy is an alternative technology to existing methods that shows promising results in the agro-food industry and plant physiology research. For example, this technology makes it possible to monitor the condition of plants, even in the early stages of development, and to control the quality of finished products. However, the use of electric impedance spectroscopy is often associated with the need to organize special laboratory conditions for measurements. Our aim is to extract information about the state of health of the internal tissues of a plant’s branches from impedance measurements. Therefore, we propose a new technique using the device and model developed by us that makes it possible to monitor the condition of tree branch tissues in situ. An apple tree was chosen as the object under study, and the dependence of the impedance of the apple tree branch on the signal frequency and branch length was analyzed. The change in the impedance of an apple tree branch during drying was also analyzed. It was shown that, when a branch dries out, the conductivity of the xylem mainly decreases. The developed technique was also applied to determine the development of the vascular system of an apple tree after grafting. It was shown that the processing of the scion and rootstock sections with the help of cold atmospheric plasma and a plasma-treated solution contributes to a better formation of graft unions.

Advancements in Plasma Agriculture: A Review of Recent Studies

“…This enhancement contributes to a faster accumulation of plant biomass. Furthermore, the impedance spectroscopy [113,114] revealed that plasma treatment contributes to the formation of a more advanced vascular system within the grafting area.…”

Plant impedance spectroscopy: a review of modeling approaches and applications

“…The rooting potential of shoot cuttings was investigated by Mancuso (1999) through double-DCE equivalent electrical circuit models. Recently, Astashev et al (2022) also developed a sensor and model to conduct in situ EIS measurements evaluating the physiological condition of trees. Branch length, tree health, and effects of drying and grafting were all impedimetrically evaluated.…”

Bacterial Decontamination of Water-Containing Objects Using Piezoelectric Direct Discharge Plasma and Plasma Jet

“…The "CAPKO" source in the DBD plasma generation mode was studied in relation to the effect on the quality of growth of pear and cherry after grafting [40][41][42]. Rootstock and scion cuts were treated with DBD CAP during grafting.…”