Neeti Sharma, Pant BD and Jyoti Mathur
The development of biological, chemical and medical research had been possible due to implementation of a variety of low-cost, high-performance microscale devices in the consumer electronics and automotive markets through Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Despite having huge socio-economic impact, not many studies have been performed in MEMS technology in the area of plant science and technology. In this review, a few examples and applications of our microfluidic devices to overcome this issue. With the help of MEMS devices, multiple model plants can be grown under various biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Through this platform, root and shoot phenotypes along with plant-pathogen interactions at high throughput can be easily monitored. Additionally, this platform provides the base for simultaneous characterization of different genotypes at physiological, biochemical and molecular levels. Large scale use of nitrogen fertilizer has led to various adverse effects on the environment, including loss of biodiversity, pollution of water, reduced crop productivity, and global climate change. There are various microfluidic sensors available which can measure nitrate in soils and quantify nutrient uptake of plants from surrounding environments in a real-time manner. Through the techniques available to measure availability of plant nutrients in soils, it is possible to use fertilizers efficiently, thereby leading to advancement of sustainable agriculture and environment.
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