Biosensor Applications in Agriculture, Aquaculture and Animal Husbandry

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental, Agricultural, and Food Biosensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 November 2026 | Viewed by 1672

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Agro-Product Safety and Nutrition, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Interests: point-of-care analysis; DNA sensors; nanomaterials; food safety
State Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Interests: biosensor; optical design; spectral analysis; nanomaterials; nucleic acid testing; pathogen detection

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Guest Editor
1. Key Laboratory of Agricultural Sensors, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100097, China
2. National Research Center of Intelligent Equipment for Agriculture, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
Interests: spectral analysis; nanomaterials; agricultural information sensing; intelligent agriculture; optical biosensor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled “Biosensor Applications in Agriculture, Aquaculture and Animal Husbandry”, represents an emerging interdisciplinary field that integrates biosensors with various advanced technologies. It is motivated by the urgent need for efficient detection and monitoring solutions to address challenges in agricultural sustainability, livestock/aquatic organism health, and agricultural product safety worldwide. Agricultural biosensors integrate the high specificity of biological recognition with rapid signal response, enabling precise detection and real-time monitoring of target analytes in complex matrices. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the design, development, and application of diverse biosensors (e.g., enzyme sensors, immunosensors, electrochemical sensors, and optical biosensors) in agricultural contexts covering aquaculture and animal husbandry. Key application areas encompass livestock disease diagnosis, aquaculture water-quality monitoring, feed safety detection, and agricultural product quality assessment. We welcome high-quality original research papers and comprehensive review articles that showcase the latest breakthroughs, technological innovations, and future trends in this field, highlighting the fusion of biosensors with emerging technologies like nanotechnology and artificial intelligence to address critical agricultural issues of global interest.

Dr. Liu Wang
Dr. Yue Wu
Dr. Yachao Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biosensor
  • agriculture
  • aquaculture
  • animal husbandry
  • optical biosensor
  • electrochemical biosensor
  • livestock disease diagnosis
  • aquaculture water quality
  • feed safety
  • agricultural product quality

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3239 KB  
Article
Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Biosensors Enable Noninvasive Real-Time Visualization of Nitrate Dynamics in Intact Living Plants
by Li Zhang, Qing Xu, Changxu Wang, Jinfeng Wang, Jing Yue, Yin Lu, Guangle Zhang, Lixue Yuan, Yonghua Wang, Bo Yu and Guozhang Kang
Biosensors 2026, 16(5), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios16050243 - 26 Apr 2026
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Abstract
Nitrate (NO3) serves as a pivotal molecule with dual functions in nutrient supply and signaling during plant growth and development. Precise monitoring of its spatiotemporal dynamics in planta is therefore essential for dissecting the regulatory mechanisms underlying plant nitrogen metabolism. [...] Read more.
Nitrate (NO3) serves as a pivotal molecule with dual functions in nutrient supply and signaling during plant growth and development. Precise monitoring of its spatiotemporal dynamics in planta is therefore essential for dissecting the regulatory mechanisms underlying plant nitrogen metabolism. However, conventional nitrate detection methods suffer from inherent limitations, including destructive sampling, insufficient spatiotemporal resolution, and an inability to achieve real-time whole-plant monitoring. Here, we report a genetically encoded nitrate biosensor, designated NitNRCL1, constructed using a split firefly luciferase complementation system. Functional validation in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems demonstrates that NitNRCL1 responds to changes in nitrate availability and generates stable chemiluminescent signals in bacteria and diverse plant species. Importantly, NitNRCL1 enables non-invasive, real-time, and whole-plant monitoring of nitrate levels in living plants. Using NitNRCL1, we successfully imaged the spatiotemporal dynamics of nitrate signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana. Collectively, our findings establish NitNRCL1 as a robust and novel tool for investigating nitrate transport, signaling, and metabolic pathways in plants. This biosensor advances our mechanistic understanding of plant nitrate biology and provides a technical foundation for breeding nitrogen-use-efficient crops and developing precision fertilization strategies. Full article
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Review

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32 pages, 3025 KB  
Review
Magnetometry for Agriculture and Animal Systems: From Classical Sensors to Quantum-Enabled Biosensing
by Zixuan Wang, Xiaoyu Zhang, Kexun Tang, Liming Wu, Yuxiang Huang, Ning Zhang, Bei Wang, Xiaolong Wang, Yi Ruan and Qiang Lin
Biosensors 2026, 16(6), 316; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios16060316 - 1 Jun 2026
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Abstract
Magnetic sensors offer a physically grounded and non-invasive approach to probing biological processes that remain inaccessible to optical, electrochemical, and radio-frequency techniques in complex agricultural environments. In recent years, advances in both classical and quantum magnetic sensors have enabled the detection of bioelectromagnetic [...] Read more.
Magnetic sensors offer a physically grounded and non-invasive approach to probing biological processes that remain inaccessible to optical, electrochemical, and radio-frequency techniques in complex agricultural environments. In recent years, advances in both classical and quantum magnetic sensors have enabled the detection of bioelectromagnetic signals across plants, soils, animals, and aquatic systems, spanning spatial scales from ionic currents to organ-level electrophysiology and population-level dynamics, positioning magnetometry as an emerging modality within the broader biosensor landscape. This review surveys the evolution of magnetic sensing technologies for agricultural and animal systems, from robust classical sensors used in navigation and soil mapping to quantum-enabled platforms, including Optically Pumped Magnetometers (OPMs) and Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers, capable of resolving pT to fT biomagnetic signals. We synthesize the characteristic amplitudes, frequency ranges, and physiological origins of agriculturally relevant magnetic signals, and critically assess how techniques originally developed for medical magnetoencephalography, magnetocardiography, and low-field magnetic resonance imaging (LF-MRI) are being translated into field-deployable agricultural applications. Beyond sensing hardware, we highlight the essential role of artificial intelligence in extracting weak biological signals from dominant environmental noise, enabling synthetic gradiometry, low-field image reconstruction, and scalable interpretation in unshielded settings. Finally, we discuss how the integration of magnetic biosensing with digital twins supports predictive, multiscale monitoring of plant, animal, and ecosystem health. Together, these developments position magnetometry as an enabling technology for next-generation biosensors in precision and sustainable agriculture. Full article
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