Sowing seeds for the future: The need for on-site plant diagnostics

Precise in-field molecular diagnostics of crop diseases by smartphone-based mutation-resolved pathogenic RNA analysis

Molecular diagnostics for crop diseases can guide the precise application of pesticides, thereby reducing pesticide usage while improving crop yield, but tools are lacking. Here, we report an in-field molecular diagnostic tool that uses a cheap colorimetric paper and a smartphone, allowing multiplexed, low-cost, rapid detection of crop pathogens. Rapid nucleic acid amplification-free detection of pathogenic RNA is achieved by combining toehold-mediated strand displacement with a metal ion-mediated urease catalysis reaction. We demonstrate multiplexed detection of six wheat pathogenic fungi and an early detection of wheat stripe rust. When coupled with a microneedle for rapid nucleic acid extraction and a smartphone app for results analysis, the sample-to-result test can be completed in ~10 min in the field. Importantly, by detecting fungal RNA and mutations, the approach allows to distinguish viable and dead pathogens and to sensitively identify mutation-carrying fungicide-resistant isolates, providing fundamental information for precision crop disease management.

Semiconductor/Carbon Quantum Dot-based Hue Recognition Strategy for Point of Need Testing: A Review

The requirement to establish novel methods for visual detection is attracting attention in many application fields of analytical chemistry, such as, healthcare, environment, agriculture, and food. The research around subjects like "point-of-need", "hue recognition", "paper-based sensor", "fluorescent sensor", etc. has been always aimed at the opportunity to manufacture convenient and fast-response devices to be used by non-specialists. It is possible to achieve economic rationality and technical simplicity for optical sensing toward target analytes through introduction of fluorescent semiconductor/carbon quantum dot (QD) and paper-based substrates. In this Review, the mechanisms of anthropic visual recognition and fluorescent visual assays, characteristics of semiconductor/carbon QDs and ratiometric fluorescence test paper, and strategies of semiconductor/carbon QD-based hue recognition are described. We cover latest progress in the development and application of point-of-need sensors for visual detection, which is based on a semiconductor/carbon quantum dot-based hue recognition strategy generated by ratiometric fluorescence technology.

Plant pathogen detection on a lab-on-a-disc using solid-phase extraction and isothermal nucleic acid amplification enabled by digital pulse-actuated dissolvable film valves

By virtue of its ruggedness, portability, rapid processing times, and ease-of-use, academic and commercial interest in centrifugal microfluidic systems has soared over the last decade. A key advantage of the LoaD platform is the ability to automate laboratory unit operations (LUOs) (mixing, metering, washing etc.) to support direct translation of 'on-bench' assays to 'on-chip'. Additionally, the LoaD requires just a low-cost spindle motor rather than specialized and expensive microfluidic pumps. Furthermore, when flow control (valves) is implemented through purely rotational changes in this same spindle motor (rather than using additional support instrumentation), the LoaD offers the potential to be a truly portable, low-cost and accessible platform. Current rotationally controlled valves are typically opened by sequentially increasing the disc spin-rate to a specific opening frequency. However, due lack of manufacturing fidelity these specific opening frequencies are better described as spin frequency 'bands'. With low-cost motors typically having a maximum spin-rate of 6000 rpm (100 Hz), using this 'analogue' approach places a limitation on the number of valves, which can be serially actuated thus limiting the number of LUOs that can be automated. In this work, a novel flow control scheme is presented where the sequence of valve actuation is determined by architecture of the disc while its timing is governed by freely programmable 'digital' pulses in its spin profile. This paradigm shift to 'digital' flow control enables automation of multi-step assays with high reliability, with full temporal control, and with the number of LUOs theoretically only limited by available space on the disc. We first describe the operational principle of these valves followed by a demonstration of the capability of these valves to automate complex assays by screening tomato leaf samples against plant pathogens. Reagents and lysed sample are loaded on-disc and then, in a fully autonomous fashion using only spindle-motor control, the complete assay is automated. Amplification and fluorescent acquisition take place on a custom spin-stand enabling the generation of real-time LAMP amplification curves using custom software. To prevent environmental contamination, the entire discs are sealed from atmosphere following loading with internal venting channels permitting easy movement of liquids about the disc. The disc was successfully used to detect the presence of thermally inactivated Clavibacter michiganensis. Michiganensis (CMM) bacterial pathogen on tomato leaf samples.

Combining Electrochemiluminescence Detection with Aptamer-Gated Indicator Releasing Mesoporous Nanoparticles Enables ppt Sensitivity for Strip-Based Rapid Tests

The combination of electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) and aptamer‐gated indicator delivering (gAID) magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles embedded into glass fibre paper functionalised with poly(ethyleneglycol) and N‐(3‐triethoxysilylpropyl)diethanolamine allowed the development of a rapid test that detects penicillin directly in diluted milk down to 50±9 ppt in <5 min. Covalent attachment of the aptamer “cap” to the silica scaffold enabled pore closure through non‐covalent electrostatic interactions with surface amino groups, while binding of penicillin led to a folding‐up of the aptamer thus releasing the ECL reporter Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ previously loaded into the material and letting it be detected after lateral flow by a smartphone camera upon electrochemical excitation with a screen printed electrode inserted into a 3D‐printed holder. The approach is simple, generic and presents advantages with respect to sensitivity, measurement uncertainty and robustness compared with conventional fluorescence or electrochemical detection, especially for point‐of‐need analyses of challenging matrices and analytes at ultra‐trace levels.

Comprehensive account of present techniques for in-field plant disease diagnosis

The early detection of plant pathogens is an appropriate preventive strategy for the management of crop yield and quality. For this reason, effective diagnostic techniques and tools, which are simple, specific, rapid and economic, are needed to be developed. Although several such technologies have been developed still most of them suffer one or the other limitation. Major limitations of the widely used diagnostic methods are requirement of trained staff and laboratory setup. Development of point-of-care diagnostic devices (handy portable devices) that require no specialized staff and can directly be used in fields is need of the hour. The aim of this review is to compile the information on current promising techniques that are in use for plant-pathogen diagnosis. Additionally, it focuses on the latest in-field pathogen diagnostic techniques with associated advantages and limitations.

Biosensor Technologies for Early Detection and Quantification of Plant Pathogens

Plant pathogens are a major reason of reduced crop productivity and may lead to a shortage of food for both human and animal consumption. Although chemical control remains the main method to reduce foliar fungal disease incidence, frequent use can lead to loss of susceptibility in the fungal population. Furthermore, over-spraying can cause environmental contamination and poses a heavy financial burden on growers. To prevent or control disease epidemics, it is important for growers to be able to detect causal pathogen accurately, sensitively, and rapidly, so that the best practice disease management strategies can be chosen and enacted. To reach this goal, many culture-dependent, biochemical, and molecular methods have been developed for plant pathogen detection. However, these methods lack accuracy, specificity, reliability, and rapidity, and they are generally not suitable for in-situ analysis. Accordingly, there is strong interest in developing biosensing systems for early and accurate pathogen detection. There is also great scope to translate innovative nanoparticle-based biosensor approaches developed initially for human disease diagnostics for early detection of plant disease-causing pathogens. In this review, we compare conventional methods used in plant disease diagnostics with new sensing technologies in particular with deeper focus on electrochemical and optical biosensors that may be applied for plant pathogen detection and management. In addition, we discuss challenges facing biosensors and new capability the technology provides to informing disease management strategies.

Capacitive Field-Effect Biosensor Studying Adsorption of Tobacco Mosaic Virus Particles

Plant virus-like particles, and in particular, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles, are increasingly being used in nano- and biotechnology as well as for biochemical sensing purposes as nanoscaffolds for the high-density immobilization of receptor molecules. The sensitive parameters of TMV-assisted biosensors depend, among others, on the density of adsorbed TMV particles on the sensor surface, which is affected by both the adsorption conditions and surface properties of the sensor. In this work, Ta₂O₅-gate field-effect capacitive sensors have been applied for the label-free electrical detection of TMV adsorption. The impact of the TMV concentration on both the sensor signal and the density of TMV particles adsorbed onto the Ta₂O₅-gate surface has been studied systematically by means of field-effect and scanning electron microscopy methods. In addition, the surface density of TMV particles loaded under different incubation times has been investigated. Finally, the field-effect sensor also demonstrates the label-free detection of penicillinase immobilization as model bioreceptor on TMV particles.

Engineering Protein Switches for Rapid Diagnostic Tests

Biological signaling pathways are underpinned by protein switches that sense and respond to molecular inputs. Inspired by nature, engineered protein switches have been designed to directly transduce analyte binding into a quantitative signal in a simple, wash-free, homogeneous assay format. As such, they offer great potential to underpin point-of-need diagnostics that are needed across broad sectors to improve access, costs, and speed compared to laboratory assays. Despite this, protein switch assays are not yet in routine diagnostic use, and a number of barriers to uptake must be overcome to realize this potential. Here, we review the opportunities and challenges in engineering protein switches for rapid diagnostic tests. We evaluate how their design, comprising a recognition element, reporter, and switching mechanism, relates to performance and identify areas for improvement to guide further optimization. Recent modular switches that enable new analytes to be targeted without redesign are crucial to ensure robust and efficient development processes. The importance of translational steps toward practical implementation, including integration into a user-friendly device and thorough assay validation, is also discussed.

Pectobacterium atrosepticum Biosensor for Monitoring Blackleg and Soft Rot Disease of Potato

Pectobacterium atrosepticum (Pba) is a quarantine and threatening phytopathogen known as the causal agent of blackleg and soft rot disease of potatoes in many areas. Its early detection is then important to have healthy potato tubers and reduce economic losses. Today, conventional methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent-assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are typically used for Pba detection, but they are expensive and time-consuming. Here we report on the optimization of an alternative approach based on an electrochemical impedance immunosensor combining a microfluidic module and a microelectrodes array, and having advantages in terms of low cost, ease of use and portability. For validation and for assessing its performance, the lab-on-chip platform has been compared with two standard methods (ELISA and PCR).

Molecular Approaches for Low-Cost Point-of-Care Pathogen Detection in Agriculture and Forestry

Early detection of plant diseases is a crucial factor to prevent or limit the spread of a rising infection that could cause significant economic loss. Detection test on plant diseases in the laboratory can be laborious, time consuming, expensive, and normally requires specific technical expertise. Moreover, in the developing countries, it is often difficult to find laboratories equipped for this kind of analysis. Therefore, in the past years, a high effort has been made for the development of fast, specific, sensitive, and cost-effective tests that can be successfully used in plant pathology directly in the field by low-specialized personnel using minimal equipment. Nucleic acid-based methods have proven to be a good choice for the development of detection tools in several fields, such as human/animal health, food safety, and water analysis, and their application in plant pathogen detection is becoming more and more common. In the present review, the more recent nucleic acid-based protocols for point-of-care (POC) plant pathogen detection and identification are described and analyzed. All these methods have a high potential for early detection of destructive diseases in agriculture and forestry, they should help make molecular detection for plant pathogens accessible to anyone, anywhere, and at any time. We do not suggest that on-site methods should replace lab testing completely, which remains crucial for more complex researches, such as identification and classification of new pathogens or the study of plant defense mechanisms. Instead, POC analysis can provide a useful, fast, and efficient preliminary on-site screening that is crucial in the struggle against plant pathogens.

Field-Effect Sensors for Virus Detection: From Ebola to SARS-CoV-2 and Plant Viral Enhancers

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel human infectious disease provoked by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Currently, no specific vaccines or drugs against COVID-19 are available. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are essential in order to slow the virus spread and to contain the disease outbreak. Hence, new diagnostic tests and devices for virus detection in clinical samples that are faster, more accurate and reliable, easier and cost-efficient than existing ones are needed. Due to the small sizes, fast response time, label-free operation without the need for expensive and time-consuming labeling steps, the possibility of real-time and multiplexed measurements, robustness and portability (point-of-care and on-site testing), biosensors based on semiconductor field-effect devices (FEDs) are one of the most attractive platforms for an electrical detection of charged biomolecules and bioparticles by their intrinsic charge. In this review, recent advances and key developments in the field of label-free detection of viruses (including plant viruses) with various types of FEDs are presented. In recent years, however, certain plant viruses have also attracted additional interest for biosensor layouts: Their repetitive protein subunits arranged at nanometric spacing can be employed for coupling functional molecules. If used as adapters on sensor chip surfaces, they allow an efficient immobilization of analyte-specific recognition and detector elements such as antibodies and enzymes at highest surface densities. The display on plant viral bionanoparticles may also lead to long-time stabilization of sensor molecules upon repeated uses and has the potential to increase sensor performance substantially, compared to conventional layouts. This has been demonstrated in different proof-of-concept biosensor devices. Therefore, richly available plant viral particles, non-pathogenic for animals or humans, might gain novel importance if applied in receptor layers of FEDs. These perspectives are explained and discussed with regard to future detection strategies for COVID-19 and related viral diseases.

Affimer-Enzyme-Inhibitor Switch Sensor for Rapid Wash-free Assays of Multimeric Proteins

Robust technology is required to underpin rapid point-of-care and in-field diagnostics to improve timely decision making across broad sectors. An attractive strategy combines target recognition and signal generating elements into an "active" enzyme-switch that directly transduces target-binding into a signal. However, approaches that are broadly applicable to diverse targets remain elusive. Here, an enzyme-inhibitor switch sensor was developed by insertion of non-immunoglobulin Affimer binding proteins, between TEM1-β-lactamase and its inhibitor protein, such that target binding disrupts the enzyme-inhibitor complex. Design principles for a successful switch architecture are illustrated by the rapid (min), simple (wash-free), and sensitive (pM) quantification of multimeric target analytes in biological samples (serum, plasma, leaf extracts), across three application areas. A therapeutic antibody (Herceptin), protein biomarker (human C-reactive protein), and plant virus (cow pea mosaic virus) were targeted, demonstrating assays for therapeutic drug monitoring, health diagnostics, and plant pathogen detection, respectively. Batch-to-batch reproducibility, shelf-life stability, and consistency with validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis confirm that the principle of an Affimer-enzyme-inhibitor switch provides a platform for point-of-care and in-field diagnostics.