Biosensors in Agroecosystems
A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2015) | Viewed by 68349
Special Issue Editor
Interests: robotics; automation; chemical ecology; precision agriculture; intelligent sensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Over the last 30+ years, a great deal about the complexity of trophic interactions amongst living organisms has been discovered. Plants, insects, microbes and other organisms weave an intricate web of interdependent and diverse self-regulating mechanisms for survival. Tri-trophic interactions amongst plants, pests and beneficial organisms have revealed chemical communications between plants and insects that could contribute to maintaining pest populations below economic threshold levels. The understanding of these systems holds great promise to improve agricultural management through cultural practices that maximize ecologically-based agroecosystems, site-specific data on plant health for more precise management in and around field borders, and toxin detection in commodities, such as milk, corn and nuts. However, sensors are needed that are capable of detecting these unique chemical signals, which are primarily volatile and at very low concentrations in natural environments. Biosensor development can lead to customized, specific and deployable platforms for production of economically and environmentally efficient agricultural management practices.
This Special Issue will focus on the development, testing, calibration and instrumentation of biosensors used to detect and decipher chemical signals between organisms, within agricultural commodities and agroecosystems. Biosensors have traditionally been defined by a transducer that measures changes in a bio-receptor through electronic measurement. This definition will be roughly expanded to include any biological means of detection, including employment of whole-animals and/or animal parts.
Prof. Dr. Glen C. Rains
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- toxins
- plant health
- trophic interactions
- chemical signals
- site-specific agriculture
- chemical ecology
- kairomones
- pest detection
- plant pathogens
- precision agriculture
- sustainable agriculture
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