New degradable sensors may provide valuable insights into the hidden yet vital microbial communities within soil. Developed by researchers at Lancaster University, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of Manchester, the sensors measure biological activity by incorporating a degradable material that soil microbes consume.
The sensors have the potential to uncover valuable insights about soil processes, including how soils react to climate-related events and their crucial function in carbon storage. Research describing this technology has been published in the European Journal of Soil Science.
Soil Biology and the Unresolved Dynamics of Soil Microbes
According to Professor John Quinton, the project’s lead investigator, soil biology serves as the foundation of soil function and health. However, understanding how soil ecosystems evolve over time has remained a challenge. He noted that there is still much to discover about soil microbes, particularly how they operate and respond to various environmental pressures and stresses.
These innovative, partially degradable sensors could improve our understanding of how soils process and decompose organic material, a key mechanism in carbon cycling. They may also provide insights into how this process is influenced by climate conditions, environmental factors, and land management practices.
Until now, researchers have been limited to capturing only isolated snapshots of biological activity in soil. These sensors offer the possibility of continuously revealing previously hidden processes, enabling a deeper understanding of soil functioning and overall soil health.
So far, soil scientists have depended on approaches that are either slow or imperfect: they may wait months to observe how quickly materials break down in soil, take one-off samples that can disturb the environment and potentially speed up or disrupt the microbial activity being studied, or use respiration measurements that can include plant root activity but are often expensive.
Low-Cost Printed Sensors Enable Continuous, Large-Scale Soil Monitoring
These new sensors, based on printed electronics, are able to collect continuous measurements every 30 minutes without harming the soil. They are also inexpensive to manufacture, making it feasible to deploy them over large areas. As a result, they could deliver far more detailed and comprehensive data than has previously been available.
The sensor substrate is made from a biodegradable biopolymer known as PHVB, which is already commonly used in applications such as biodegradable packaging and drug delivery systems.
The sensors contain a printed electrical circuit made with carbon flake material. As soil microbes break down the PHVB substrate that forms the sensor’s body, the circuit’s resistance changes. Although the device doesn’t fully biodegrade or disappear, its structural changes can indicate microbial soil activity.
While degradable sensors exist, these are unique because their degradation itself generates the signal.
To test the technology, researchers examined how drought and flooding affect soils with species-rich grassland and winter wheat. The experiments were conducted in pots in a polytunnel at Lancaster University’s field station, using controlled watering to simulate dry and waterlogged conditions.
Read the original article on: Phys Org
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