Biosensors monitoring plant physiology for precision forestry

Dynamic, non-destructive tracking of plant physiology using wearable biosensors was one of the top emerging technologies of 2025. In research published in August 2025, Bioeconomy Science Institute researcher, Dalila Pasquini, co-led the study into monitoring potassium ions in living pine trees.

Ion-selective organic electrochemical transistors (IS-OECTs), or biosensors, are miniaturised and much more sensitive to fluctuations of ion concentration than current sensors. This allows continuous detection of subtle changes with minimal damage to the plants. Potassium, the most abundant ion in plants, is important for growth and defence, its variations can be a sign of plant health.

Why this research matters?

Recognised by the World Economic Forum as one of the Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025, autonomous biochemical sensing offers unprecedented insights into plant physiology. For the first time, we can dynamically track a specific ion pattern in vivo  (inserted directly into a living plant) over several weeks.

The biosensors are also produced with low-cost manufacturing methods, compared with the current more complex and expensive methods. This innovative and cost-effective solution to plant monitoring has the potential for greater uptake across forestry and other agricultural and horticultural fields.

This sensing technology allows for closer monitoring of trees and plants, enabling faster and more accurate decision making about what the plant might need to thrive.

This work was led by the Bioeconomy Science Institute and funded by the MBIE Smart Ideas Fund, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge (UK) and Incheon National University (South Korea). Co-first author, Dalila Pasquini, has been supported by the Scion SSIF fund for her postdoctoral fellowship research. Mathias Sorieul, Alan Dickson, Stephanie Davy and Yi Chen contributed to the research.

We also acknowledge Michael Watt, Donald White, Priscilla Corbett-Lad, Dean Meason, Graham Coker, Anita Wylie, Matt Dunn and Michael Robertson for their technical assistance and discussions.

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Source & image credit: Bioeconomy Science Institute