Rapid detection of drought stress in plants using femtosecond laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Abstract

Drought stress disrupts the balance of macro- and micronutrients and affects the yield of agriculturally and economically significant plants. Rapid detection of stress-induced changes of relative content of elements such as sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and iron (Fe) in the field may allow farmers and crop growers to counter the effects of plant stress and to increase their crop return. Unfortunately, the analytical methods currently available are time-consuming, expensive and involve elaborate sample preparation such as acid digestion which hinders routine daily monitoring of crop health on a field scale. We report application of an alternative method for rapid detection of drought stress in plants using femtosecond laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). We demonstrate daily monitoring of relative content of Na, K, Ca and Fe in decorative indoor (gardenia) and cultivated outdoor (wheat) plant species under various degrees of drought stress. The observed differences in spectral and temporal responses indicate different mechanisms of drought resistance. We identify spectroscopic markers of drought stress which allow for distinguishing mild environmental and severe drought stress in wheat and may be used for remote field-scale estimation of plant stress resistance and health.

LIBS assisted PCA analysis of multiple rare-earth elements (La, Ce, Nd, Sm, and Yb) in phosphorite deposits

“…Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a developing spectroscopical analytical tool for the qualitative and quantitative study of various samples such as cement [ 10 , 11 ], steel [ 12 ], soil [ 13 , 14 , 15 ], pharmaceutical tablets [ 16 ], plants [ 17 ], aqueous solution [ 18 , 19 ], seaweed fertilizer [ 20 ] and neoplastic tissues [ 21 ]. It is a fast and globally responsive technique that requires minimal sample pre-treatment as required in conventional techniques such as ICP-MS and ICP-AES.…”

Active hyperspectral mid-infrared imaging based on a widely tunable quantum cascade laser for early detection of plant water stress

“…5 Recent studies show the detection of water stress in plants by measurements made directly from plants on different species such as potato, asparagus, grapevine, cherry, sorghum, and sunflower. 4,[6][7][8] Spectroscopy techniques 9,10 and imaging systems [11][12][13] were commonly used to determine the plant response to drought.…”

“…14 Appropriate spectral analyses can determine changes and can be used to identify the plant's physiological state and assess to water status. 10 The visible region (VIS, 0.4 to 0.7 μm) includes a major portion of the information about the leaf reflectance as a result of the absorption of leaf pigments. 15 This part of the spectrum is used to study changes in leaf pigments and is the basis of studies of plant health.…”

Morpho-Physiological and Biochemical Changes in Syzygium cumini and Populus deltoides: A Case Study on Young Saplings under Water Stress

“…Environmental stresses frequently affect plant growth and development. Plants are overstressed by biotic (viruses, insects, bacteria, fungi,) and abiotic (drought, salinity, temperature, light) stress factors that stimulate a negative impact on the productivity of agriculture and forestry system [11]. Among many abiotic factors, drought is a one of the most important hazards and is posing a challenge to plant survival in the arid and semi-arid areas of the world [12].…”