Needle/electrode insertion device for measuring plant electrical signals.

Abstract

Plants generate electrical signals in response to mild and severe environmental stimuli to transmit physiological information and ultimately trigger defensive responses during stressful events. It has been proposed that detecting and characterizing such signals could allow researchers to mimic specific electrical stimuli and provoke desirable responses in crops. Nevertheless, manually inserting electrodes in plant tissues leads to irregular data records due to a lack of uniformity across insertion events. For this reason, we manufactured a prototype of an electrode/needle insertion device built in aluminum and acrylic and used it to measure electrical signals in C. annuum plants. As a result, the device had more consistent insertion characteristics such as depth and alignment between electrodes and with plant stems. The device was also used to obtain electrical signals and compare them with the signals obtained using the traditional insertion technique, demonstrating that the use of the device promotes stability and repeatability in the captured signals.