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How we can detect electrical signals in plants?
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+ Plant physiology
+ Plant biotechnology
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+ Plant environmental stress physiology
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+ Electrophysiology
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Louis Nardozi
How we can detect electrical signals in plants?
Harold Saxton Burr did a lot of work on this question of bioelectrical potentials in animals and plants in the mid-20th Century, also monitoring the potentials of trees by use of sensitive DC millivoltmeters. Something with a high input impedance (>10megohms) and able to detect at around 1 mv full scale, plus a usable data port for output -- analog would serve you much better than digital, BTW, as the variations in the plant are also analog or gradual changes in quantity of charge. No more than $500 would be necessary for such a meter, brand new, plus a bit more for electrodes and then whatever DAQ you have with a laptop. The positive electrode can be inserted into the tree side down to the cambium, sealed with hot-softened bees-wax to fill the hole. The negative electrode then goes to standard earth ground, or to another electrode in a lower part of the same tree. Or scale it all down for smaller plants. A similar arrangement can be used on smaller plants, using the Ag/AgCl electrodes on the leaf surface or as described by Pilar Gil in a prior reply. Problem with that is, depending upon electrode configuration and location, an electrolyte may be needed for a good connection (ie, leaf surfaces), and that can hurt the plant if prolonged. I did several years of study of trees and potted philodendron reviewing their response to external factors such as diurnal cycle, lunar phase, weather changes and so forth. The plants I studied were reactive to it all. But this is not going to give you info about internal plant micro factors. It goes to a whole field of study on external mechanisms driving biological clocks in plants and animals. Aside from Burr, the work of biologist Frank Brown goes in that direction, and is a neglected field of study, IMO. An internet search should bring up their works. If interested in studying external fluctuating factors, a Faraday-type of shielding would not be necessary. At one time I had entire sets of papers by Brown and Burr for my students, on reserve reading.
Harold Saxton Burr did a lot of work on this question of bioelectrical potentials in animals and plants in the mid-20th Century, also monitoring the potentials of trees by use of sensitive DC millivoltmeters. Something with a high input impedance (>10megohms) and able to detect at around 1 mv full scale, plus a usable data port for output -- analog would serve you much better than digital, BTW, as the variations in the plant are also analog or gradual changes in quantity of charge. No more than $500 would be necessary for such a meter, brand new, plus a bit more for electrodes and then whatever DAQ you have with a laptop. The positive electrode can be inserted into the tree side down to the cambium, sealed with hot-softened bees-wax to fill the hole. The negative electrode then goes to standard earth ground, or to another electrode in a lower part of the same tree. Or scale it all down for smaller plants. A similar arrangement can be used on smaller plants, using the Ag/AgCl electrodes on the leaf surface or as described by Pilar Gil in a prior reply. Problem with that is, depending upon electrode configuration and location, an electrolyte may be needed for a good connection (ie, leaf surfaces), and that can hurt the plant if prolonged. I did several years of study of trees and potted philodendron reviewing their response to external factors such as diurnal cycle, lunar phase, weather changes and so forth. The plants I studied were reactive to it all. But this is not going to give you info about internal plant micro factors. It goes to a whole field of study on external mechanisms driving biological clocks in plants and animals. Aside from Burr, the work of biologist Frank Brown goes in that direction, and is a neglected field of study, IMO. An internet search should bring up their works. If interested in studying external fluctuating factors, a Faraday-type of shielding would not be necessary. At one time I had entire sets of papers by Brown and Burr for my students, on reserve reading.
Hi: you can download some of my articles about electrical potential measuring in fruit trees. In matherial and methods is very well described how you can measure those signals. Basically you need Ag/AgCl electrodes that you can insert into the stem to reach xylem (that is for variation potential measurements). If you want to measure in phloem (por action potential for example) you will need and "aphid microelectrode" or surface electrodes. You also need an amplifier of course. There are many articles about this (search the works that belong to Dr. mancuso, Dr. Volkov, Dr. Fromm, Dr. Gurovich, etc).
Hi: you can download some of my articles about electrical potential measuring in fruit trees. In matherial and methods is very well described how you can measure those signals. Basically you need Ag/AgCl electrodes that you can insert into the stem to reach xylem (that is for variation potential measurements). If you want to measure in phloem (por action potential for example) you will need and "aphid microelectrode" or surface electrodes. You also need an amplifier of course. There are many articles about this (search the works that belong to Dr. mancuso, Dr. Volkov, Dr. Fromm, Dr. Gurovich, etc).
Hi, Just a comment: I'm interested in this topic, and coming from the electronic measurement angle. I'll check out the references on how to do the measurements. I'm interested to hear of anyone with practical first hand experience in measuring electrical signals. What kind of amplifier did you use ? Voltage levels and frequencies ? i.e. use of Faraday cage etc.. Heiko
Hi, Just a comment: I'm interested in this topic, and coming from the electronic measurement angle. I'll check out the references on how to do the measurements. I'm interested to hear of anyone with practical first hand experience in measuring electrical signals. What kind of amplifier did you use ? Voltage levels and frequencies ? i.e. use of Faraday cage etc.. Heiko
Harold Saxton Burr did a lot of work on this question of bioelectrical potentials in animals and plants in the mid-20th Century, also monitoring the potentials of trees by use of sensitive DC millivoltmeters. Something with a high input impedance (>10megohms) and able to detect at around 1 mv full scale, plus a usable data port for output -- analog would serve you much better than digital, BTW, as the variations in the plant are also analog or gradual changes in quantity of charge. No more than $500 would be necessary for such a meter, brand new, plus a bit more for electrodes and then whatever DAQ you have with a laptop. The positive electrode can be inserted into the tree side down to the cambium, sealed with hot-softened bees-wax to fill the hole. The negative electrode then goes to standard earth ground, or to another electrode in a lower part of the same tree. Or scale it all down for smaller plants. A similar arrangement can be used on smaller plants, using the Ag/AgCl electrodes on the leaf surface or as described by Pilar Gil in a prior reply. Problem with that is, depending upon electrode configuration and location, an electrolyte may be needed for a good connection (ie, leaf surfaces), and that can hurt the plant if prolonged. I did several years of study of trees and potted philodendron reviewing their response to external factors such as diurnal cycle, lunar phase, weather changes and so forth. The plants I studied were reactive to it all. But this is not going to give you info about internal plant micro factors. It goes to a whole field of study on external mechanisms driving biological clocks in plants and animals. Aside from Burr, the work of biologist Frank Brown goes in that direction, and is a neglected field of study, IMO. An internet search should bring up their works. If interested in studying external fluctuating factors, a Faraday-type of shielding would not be necessary. At one time I had entire sets of papers by Brown and Burr for my students, on reserve reading.
Harold Saxton Burr did a lot of work on this question of bioelectrical potentials in animals and plants in the mid-20th Century, also monitoring the potentials of trees by use of sensitive DC millivoltmeters. Something with a high input impedance (>10megohms) and able to detect at around 1 mv full scale, plus a usable data port for output -- analog would serve you much better than digital, BTW, as the variations in the plant are also analog or gradual changes in quantity of charge. No more than $500 would be necessary for such a meter, brand new, plus a bit more for electrodes and then whatever DAQ you have with a laptop. The positive electrode can be inserted into the tree side down to the cambium, sealed with hot-softened bees-wax to fill the hole. The negative electrode then goes to standard earth ground, or to another electrode in a lower part of the same tree. Or scale it all down for smaller plants. A similar arrangement can be used on smaller plants, using the Ag/AgCl electrodes on the leaf surface or as described by Pilar Gil in a prior reply. Problem with that is, depending upon electrode configuration and location, an electrolyte may be needed for a good connection (ie, leaf surfaces), and that can hurt the plant if prolonged. I did several years of study of trees and potted philodendron reviewing their response to external factors such as diurnal cycle, lunar phase, weather changes and so forth. The plants I studied were reactive to it all. But this is not going to give you info about internal plant micro factors. It goes to a whole field of study on external mechanisms driving biological clocks in plants and animals. Aside from Burr, the work of biologist Frank Brown goes in that direction, and is a neglected field of study, IMO. An internet search should bring up their works. If interested in studying external fluctuating factors, a Faraday-type of shielding would not be necessary. At one time I had entire sets of papers by Brown and Burr for my students, on reserve reading.
Electrical excitability and signalling, frequently associated with rapid responses to environmental stimuli, are well known in some algae and higher plants. The presence of electrical signals, such as action potentials (AP), in both animal and plant cells suggested that plant cells, too, make use of ion channels to transmit information over long distances. In the light of rapid progress in plant biology during the past decade, the assumption that electrical signals do not only trigger rapid leaf movements in ‘sensitive’ plants such as Mimosa pudica or Dionaea muscipula, but also physiological processes in ordinary plants proved to be correct. Summarizing recent progress in the field of electrical signalling in plants, the present review will focus on the generation and propagation of various electrical signals, their ways of transmission within the plant body and various physiological effects. In general, two different methods are being used to measure electric potentials in plants, viz. extracellular and intracellular recording. Extracellular potential measurements on the surface of higher plants have been widely performed in the past, and offer the advantage of being able to detect electrical potential differences over long periods of time (several days). By contrast, intracellular measurements with penetrating glass microelectrodes are only effective for short periods of time such as 1–2 h, because some of the electrolyte within the electrode usually diffuses into the cell to be measured and changes its original bioelectric condition. However, intracellular recording has theadvantage of being more precise because membrane potentials and electrical signals may be deduced from specific cells.
Electrical excitability and signalling, frequently associated with rapid responses to environmental stimuli, are well known in some algae and higher plants. The presence of electrical signals, such as action potentials (AP), in both animal and plant cells suggested that plant cells, too, make use of ion channels to transmit information over long distances. In the light of rapid progress in plant biology during the past decade, the assumption that electrical signals do not only trigger rapid leaf movements in ‘sensitive’ plants such as Mimosa pudica or Dionaea muscipula, but also physiological processes in ordinary plants proved to be correct. Summarizing recent progress in the field of electrical signalling in plants, the present review will focus on the generation and propagation of various electrical signals, their ways of transmission within the plant body and various physiological effects. In general, two different methods are being used to measure electric potentials in plants, viz. extracellular and intracellular recording. Extracellular potential measurements on the surface of higher plants have been widely performed in the past, and offer the advantage of being able to detect electrical potential differences over long periods of time (several days). By contrast, intracellular measurements with penetrating glass microelectrodes are only effective for short periods of time such as 1–2 h, because some of the electrolyte within the electrode usually diffuses into the cell to be measured and changes its original bioelectric condition. However, intracellular recording has theadvantage of being more precise because membrane potentials and electrical signals may be deduced from specific cells.
Harold Saxton Burr did a lot of work on this question of bioelectrical potentials in animals and plants in the mid-20th Century, also monitoring the potentials of trees by use of sensitive DC millivoltmeters. Something with a high input impedance (>10megohms) and able to detect at around 1 mv full scale, plus a usable data port for output -- analog would serve you much better than digital, BTW, as the variations in the plant are also analog or gradual changes in quantity of charge. No more than $500 would be necessary for such a meter, brand new, plus a bit more for electrodes and then whatever DAQ you have with a laptop. The positive electrode can be inserted into the tree side down to the cambium, sealed with hot-softened bees-wax to fill the hole. The negative electrode then goes to standard earth ground, or to another electrode in a lower part of the same tree. Or scale it all down for smaller plants. A similar arrangement can be used on smaller plants, using the Ag/AgCl electrodes on the leaf surface or as described by Pilar Gil in a prior reply. Problem with that is, depending upon electrode configuration and location, an electrolyte may be needed for a good connection (ie, leaf surfaces), and that can hurt the plant if prolonged. I did several years of study of trees and potted philodendron reviewing their response to external factors such as diurnal cycle, lunar phase, weather changes and so forth. The plants I studied were reactive to it all. But this is not going to give you info about internal plant micro factors. It goes to a whole field of study on external mechanisms driving biological clocks in plants and animals. Aside from Burr, the work of biologist Frank Brown goes in that direction, and is a neglected field of study, IMO. An internet search should bring up their works. If interested in studying external fluctuating factors, a Faraday-type of shielding would not be necessary. At one time I had entire sets of papers by Brown and Burr for my students, on reserve reading.
Harold Saxton Burr did a lot of work on this question of bioelectrical potentials in animals and plants in the mid-20th Century, also monitoring the potentials of trees by use of sensitive DC millivoltmeters. Something with a high input impedance (>10megohms) and able to detect at around 1 mv full scale, plus a usable data port for output -- analog would serve you much better than digital, BTW, as the variations in the plant are also analog or gradual changes in quantity of charge. No more than $500 would be necessary for such a meter, brand new, plus a bit more for electrodes and then whatever DAQ you have with a laptop. The positive electrode can be inserted into the tree side down to the cambium, sealed with hot-softened bees-wax to fill the hole. The negative electrode then goes to standard earth ground, or to another electrode in a lower part of the same tree. Or scale it all down for smaller plants. A similar arrangement can be used on smaller plants, using the Ag/AgCl electrodes on the leaf surface or as described by Pilar Gil in a prior reply. Problem with that is, depending upon electrode configuration and location, an electrolyte may be needed for a good connection (ie, leaf surfaces), and that can hurt the plant if prolonged. I did several years of study of trees and potted philodendron reviewing their response to external factors such as diurnal cycle, lunar phase, weather changes and so forth. The plants I studied were reactive to it all. But this is not going to give you info about internal plant micro factors. It goes to a whole field of study on external mechanisms driving biological clocks in plants and animals. Aside from Burr, the work of biologist Frank Brown goes in that direction, and is a neglected field of study, IMO. An internet search should bring up their works. If interested in studying external fluctuating factors, a Faraday-type of shielding would not be necessary. At one time I had entire sets of papers by Brown and Burr for my students, on reserve reading.
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Hi,
You may also find detailed method for surface electrical signals measurement on Arabidopsis leaves from the articles that recently published in Nature
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7463/full/nature12478.html
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7463/full/500404a.html
http://www.nature.com/nprot/journal/v9/n8/abs/nprot.2014.136.html
Hi,
You may also find detailed method for surface electrical signals measurement on Arabidopsis leaves from the articles that recently published in Nature
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7463/full/nature12478.html
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7463/full/500404a.html
http://www.nature.com/nprot/journal/v9/n8/abs/nprot.2014.136.html
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Hi: you can download some of my articles about electrical potential measuring in fruit trees. In matherial and methods is very well described how you can measure those signals. Basically you need Ag/AgCl electrodes that you can insert into the stem to reach xylem (that is for variation potential measurements). If you want to measure in phloem (por action potential for example) you will need and "aphid microelectrode" or surface electrodes. You also need an amplifier of course. There are many articles about this (search the works that belong to Dr. mancuso, Dr. Volkov, Dr. Fromm, Dr. Gurovich, etc).
Hi: you can download some of my articles about electrical potential measuring in fruit trees. In matherial and methods is very well described how you can measure those signals. Basically you need Ag/AgCl electrodes that you can insert into the stem to reach xylem (that is for variation potential measurements). If you want to measure in phloem (por action potential for example) you will need and "aphid microelectrode" or surface electrodes. You also need an amplifier of course. There are many articles about this (search the works that belong to Dr. mancuso, Dr. Volkov, Dr. Fromm, Dr. Gurovich, etc).
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thank you dear Maurizio Micheli
thank you dear Maurizio Micheli
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thank you James DeMeo
thank you James DeMeo
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I am researching allelopathy and the relationship between trees and I also need a device that shows the voltage of plants.
I am researching allelopathy and the relationship between trees and I also need a device that shows the voltage of plants.
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Dear Sir,
Please read the following paper in attached file
Dear Sir,
Please read the following paper in attached file
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Hi Pilar M Gil
first I should thank you for your answer. Can you send me that files?? material and methods of your article?
thank you
Hi Pilar M Gil
first I should thank you for your answer. Can you send me that files?? material and methods of your article?
thank you
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Hi,
Just a comment: I'm interested in this topic, and coming from the electronic measurement angle. I'll check out the references on how to do the measurements.
I'm interested to hear of anyone with practical first hand experience in measuring electrical signals. What kind of amplifier did you use ? Voltage levels and frequencies ?
i.e. use of Faraday cage etc..
Heiko
Hi,
Just a comment: I'm interested in this topic, and coming from the electronic measurement angle. I'll check out the references on how to do the measurements.
I'm interested to hear of anyone with practical first hand experience in measuring electrical signals. What kind of amplifier did you use ? Voltage levels and frequencies ?
i.e. use of Faraday cage etc..
Heiko
More
VOTE
Harold Saxton Burr did a lot of work on this question of bioelectrical potentials in animals and plants in the mid-20th Century, also monitoring the potentials of trees by use of sensitive DC millivoltmeters. Something with a high input impedance (>10megohms) and able to detect at around 1 mv full scale, plus a usable data port for output -- analog would serve you much better than digital, BTW, as the variations in the plant are also analog or gradual changes in quantity of charge. No more than $500 would be necessary for such a meter, brand new, plus a bit more for electrodes and then whatever DAQ you have with a laptop. The positive electrode can be inserted into the tree side down to the cambium, sealed with hot-softened bees-wax to fill the hole. The negative electrode then goes to standard earth ground, or to another electrode in a lower part of the same tree. Or scale it all down for smaller plants. A similar arrangement can be used on smaller plants, using the Ag/AgCl electrodes on the leaf surface or as described by Pilar Gil in a prior reply. Problem with that is, depending upon electrode configuration and location, an electrolyte may be needed for a good connection (ie, leaf surfaces), and that can hurt the plant if prolonged. I did several years of study of trees and potted philodendron reviewing their response to external factors such as diurnal cycle, lunar phase, weather changes and so forth. The plants I studied were reactive to it all. But this is not going to give you info about internal plant micro factors. It goes to a whole field of study on external mechanisms driving biological clocks in plants and animals. Aside from Burr, the work of biologist Frank Brown goes in that direction, and is a neglected field of study, IMO. An internet search should bring up their works. If interested in studying external fluctuating factors, a Faraday-type of shielding would not be necessary. At one time I had entire sets of papers by Brown and Burr for my students, on reserve reading.
Harold Saxton Burr did a lot of work on this question of bioelectrical potentials in animals and plants in the mid-20th Century, also monitoring the potentials of trees by use of sensitive DC millivoltmeters. Something with a high input impedance (>10megohms) and able to detect at around 1 mv full scale, plus a usable data port for output -- analog would serve you much better than digital, BTW, as the variations in the plant are also analog or gradual changes in quantity of charge. No more than $500 would be necessary for such a meter, brand new, plus a bit more for electrodes and then whatever DAQ you have with a laptop. The positive electrode can be inserted into the tree side down to the cambium, sealed with hot-softened bees-wax to fill the hole. The negative electrode then goes to standard earth ground, or to another electrode in a lower part of the same tree. Or scale it all down for smaller plants. A similar arrangement can be used on smaller plants, using the Ag/AgCl electrodes on the leaf surface or as described by Pilar Gil in a prior reply. Problem with that is, depending upon electrode configuration and location, an electrolyte may be needed for a good connection (ie, leaf surfaces), and that can hurt the plant if prolonged. I did several years of study of trees and potted philodendron reviewing their response to external factors such as diurnal cycle, lunar phase, weather changes and so forth. The plants I studied were reactive to it all. But this is not going to give you info about internal plant micro factors. It goes to a whole field of study on external mechanisms driving biological clocks in plants and animals. Aside from Burr, the work of biologist Frank Brown goes in that direction, and is a neglected field of study, IMO. An internet search should bring up their works. If interested in studying external fluctuating factors, a Faraday-type of shielding would not be necessary. At one time I had entire sets of papers by Brown and Burr for my students, on reserve reading.
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Electrical excitability and signalling, frequently associated with rapid responses to environmental stimuli, are well known in some algae and higher plants. The presence of electrical signals, such as action potentials (AP), in both animal and plant cells suggested that plant cells, too, make use of ion channels to transmit information over long distances. In the light of rapid progress in plant biology during the past decade, the assumption that electrical signals do not only trigger rapid leaf movements in ‘sensitive’ plants such as Mimosa pudica or Dionaea muscipula, but also physiological processes in ordinary plants proved to be correct. Summarizing recent progress in the field of electrical signalling in plants, the present review will focus on the generation and propagation of various electrical signals, their ways of transmission within the plant body and various physiological effects.
In general, two different methods are being used to measure electric potentials in plants, viz. extracellular and intracellular recording. Extracellular potential measurements on the surface of higher plants have been widely performed in the past, and offer the advantage of being able to detect electrical potential differences over long periods of time (several days). By contrast, intracellular measurements with penetrating glass microelectrodes are only effective for short periods of time such as 1–2 h, because some of the electrolyte within the electrode usually diffuses into the cell to be measured and changes its original bioelectric condition. However, intracellular recording has theadvantage of being more precise because membrane potentials and electrical signals may be deduced from specific cells.
Electrical excitability and signalling, frequently associated with rapid responses to environmental stimuli, are well known in some algae and higher plants. The presence of electrical signals, such as action potentials (AP), in both animal and plant cells suggested that plant cells, too, make use of ion channels to transmit information over long distances. In the light of rapid progress in plant biology during the past decade, the assumption that electrical signals do not only trigger rapid leaf movements in ‘sensitive’ plants such as Mimosa pudica or Dionaea muscipula, but also physiological processes in ordinary plants proved to be correct. Summarizing recent progress in the field of electrical signalling in plants, the present review will focus on the generation and propagation of various electrical signals, their ways of transmission within the plant body and various physiological effects.
In general, two different methods are being used to measure electric potentials in plants, viz. extracellular and intracellular recording. Extracellular potential measurements on the surface of higher plants have been widely performed in the past, and offer the advantage of being able to detect electrical potential differences over long periods of time (several days). By contrast, intracellular measurements with penetrating glass microelectrodes are only effective for short periods of time such as 1–2 h, because some of the electrolyte within the electrode usually diffuses into the cell to be measured and changes its original bioelectric condition. However, intracellular recording has theadvantage of being more precise because membrane potentials and electrical signals may be deduced from specific cells.
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