A stick-on gel for plants could one day offer a simple, safe and targeted way to treat diseases and pests. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed an adhesive gel that can be loaded with substances, such as small molecule drugs or nanoparticles, and applied directly onto a plant to deliver those materials into its tissues. In tests, a gel loaded with antibiotics cleared a bacterial infection in a plant within about 48 hours.
Researchers, led by Nicole Steinmetz and Jinhye Bae, professors in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, published their findings in Science Advances.
A key advantage of this gel is that it sticks easily to a wide range of plant surfaces, including both smooth and hairy leaves and stems. This is something existing adhesives struggle to do. Plant surfaces in general are difficult to adhere to. They change as plants grow and are protected by waxy, water-repellent layers.
UC San Diego MRSEC
The UC San Diego Materials Research Science and Engineering Center fosters research, education, and outreach across the disciplines of engineering, physical sciences, and biological sciences, with a focus on new materials and new materials properties.