Precise and High-Throughput Delivery of Micronutrients in Plants Enabled by Pollen-Inspired Spiny and Biodegradable Microcapsules.

Decarbonizing food production and mitigating agriculture's environmental impact require new technologies for precise delivery of fertilizers and pesticides to plants. The cuticle, a waxy barrier that protects the surface of leaves, causes 60%-90% runoff of fertilizers and pesticides, leading to the wastage of intensive resources, soil depletion, and water bodies pollution. Solutions to mitigate runoff include adding chemicals (e.g., surfactants) to decrease surface tension and enhance cuticles' permeability but have low efficacy. In this study, vapor-induced synergistic differentiation (VISDi) is used to nanomanufacture echinate pollen-like, high payload content (≈50 wt%) microcapsules decorated with robust spines that mechanically disrupt the cuticle and adhere to the leaf. VISDi induces a core-shell structure in the spines, enabling the release of agrochemicals from the microparticles' body into the leaf. As proof of concept, precise and highthroughput delivery of iron fertilizer in Fe-deficient spinach plants is demonstrated. Spray of spiny microparticles improves leaf adhesion by mechanical interlocking, reduces wash-off by an ≈12.5 fold, and enhances chlorophyll content by ≈7.3 times compared to the application of spherical counterparts. Together, these results show that spiny microparticles can mitigate agricultural runoff and provide a high-throughput tool for precise plant drug delivery.

Tardigrade secretory proteins protect biological structures from desiccation.

Tardigrades, microscopic animals that survive a broad range of environmental stresses, express a unique set of proteins termed tardigrade-specific intrinsically disordered proteins (TDPs). TDPs are often expressed at high levels in tardigrades upon desiccation, and appear to mediate stress adaptation. Here, we focus on the proteins belonging to the secreted family of tardigrade proteins termed secretory-abundant heat soluble ("SAHS") proteins, and investigate their ability to protect diverse biological structures. Recombinantly expressed SAHS proteins prevent desiccated liposomes from fusion, and enhance desiccation tolerance of E. coli and Rhizobium tropici upon extracellular application. Molecular dynamics simulation and comparative structural analysis suggest a model by which SAHS proteins may undergo a structural transition upon desiccation, in which removal of water and solutes from a large internal cavity in SAHS proteins destabilizes the beta-sheet structure. These results highlight the potential application of SAHS proteins as stabilizing molecules for preservation of cells.

Unbiased in silico design of pH-sensitive tetrapeptides.

We used coarse-grain molecular dynamics simulations to screen all possible histidine-bearing tetrapeptide sequences, finding novel peptide sequences with pH-tunable assembly properties. These tetrapeptides could be used for various biological applications, such as triggered delivery of bioactive molecules.

Charge, Aspect Ratio, and Plant Species Affect Uptake Efficiency and Translocation of Polymeric Agrochemical Nanocarriers.

An incomplete understanding of how agrochemical nanocarrier properties affect their uptake and translocation in plants limits their application for promoting sustainable agriculture. Herein, we investigated how the nanocarrier aspect ratio and charge affect uptake and translocation in monocot wheat (Triticum aestivum) and dicot tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) after foliar application. Leaf uptake and distribution to plant organs were quantified for polymer nanocarriers with the same diameter (∼10 nm) but different aspect ratios (low (L), medium (M), and high (H), 10-300 nm long) and charges (-50 to +15 mV). In tomato, anionic nanocarrier translocation (20.7 ± 6.7 wt %) was higher than for cationic nanocarriers (13.3 ± 4.1 wt %). In wheat, only anionic nanocarriers were transported (8.7 ± 3.8 wt %). Both low and high aspect ratio polymers translocated in tomato, but the longest nanocarrier did not translocate in wheat, suggesting a phloem transport size cutoff. Differences in translocation correlated with leaf uptake and interactions with mesophyll cells. The positive charge decreases nanocarrier penetration through the leaf epidermis and promotes uptake into mesophyll cells, decreasing apoplastic transport and phloem loading. These results suggest design parameters to provide agrochemical nanocarriers with rapid and complete leaf uptake and an ability to target agrochemicals to specific plant organs, with the potential to lower agrochemical use and the associated environmental impacts.

Design of Biodegradable, Climate-Specific Packaging Materials That Sense Food Spoilage and Extend Shelf Life.

The AgriFood systems in tropical climates are under strain due to a rapid increase in human population and extreme environmental conditions that limit the efficacy of packaging technologies to extend food shelf life and guarantee food safety. To address these challenges, we rationally designed biodegradable packaging materials that sense spoilage and prevent molding. We nanofabricated the interface of 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to reinforce silk fibroin (SF) and obtain biodegradable membranes with augmented mechanical properties and that displayed an immediate colorimetric response (within 1 s) to food spoilage, using packaged poultry as an example. Loading COF with antimicrobial hexanal also mitigated biotic spoilage in high-temperature and -humidity conditions, resulting in a four-order of magnitude decrease in the total amount of mold growth in soybeans packaged in silk-COF, when compared to cling film (i.e., polyethylene). Together, the integration of sensing, structural reinforcement, and antimicrobial agent delivery within a biodegradable nanocomposite framework defines climate-specific packaging materials that can decrease food waste and enhance food safety.

Temperature-Responsive Bottlebrush Polymers Deliver a Stress-Regulating Agent In Vivo for Prolonged Plant Heat Stress Mitigation.

Anticipated increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme temperatures will damage crops. Methods that efficiently deliver stress-regulating agents to crops can mitigate these effects. Here, we describe high aspect ratio polymer bottlebrushes for temperature-controlled agent delivery in plants. The foliar-applied bottlebrush polymers had near complete uptake into the leaf and resided in both the apoplastic regions of the leaf mesophyll and in cells surrounding the vasculature. Elevated temperature enhanced the in vivo release of spermidine (a stress-regulating agent) from the bottlebrushes, promoting tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum) photosynthesis under heat and light stress. The bottlebrushes continued to provide protection against heat stress for at least 15 days after foliar application, whereas free spermidine did not. About 30% of the ∼80 nm short and ∼300 nm long bottlebrushes entered the phloem and moved to other plant organs, enabling heat-activated release of plant protection agents in phloem. These results indicate the ability of the polymer bottlebrushes to release encapsulated stress relief agents when triggered by heat to provide long-term protection to plants and the potential to manage plant phloem pathogens. Overall, this temperature-responsive delivery platform provides a new tool for protecting plants against climate-induced damage and yield loss.

Integrating biopolymer design with physical unclonable functions for anticounterfeiting and product traceability in agriculture.

Smallholder farmers and manufacturers in the Agri-Food sector face substantial challenges because of increasing circulation of counterfeit products (e.g., seeds), for which current countermeasures are implemented mainly at the secondary packaging level, and are generally vulnerable because of limited security guarantees. Here, by integrating biopolymer design with physical unclonable functions (PUFs), we propose a cryptographic protocol for seed authentication using biodegradable and miniaturized PUF tags made of silk microparticles. By simply drop casting a mixture of variant silk microparticles on a seed surface, tamper-evident PUF tags can be seamlessly fabricated on a variety of seeds, where the unclonability comes from the stochastic assembly of spectrally and visually distinct silk microparticles in the tag. Unique, reproducible, and unpredictable PUF codes are generated from both Raman mapping and microscopy imaging of the silk tags. Together, the proposed technology offers a highly secure solution for anticounterfeiting and product traceability in agriculture.

Large-Scale, Proteinaceous Nanotube Arrays with Programmable Hydrophobicity, Oleophilicity, and Gas Permeability.

Nanotubular structures possess remarkable advantages in a broad range of areas, such as catalysis, sensing, microencapsulation, selective mass transport, filtration, and drug delivery. While the fields of carbon nanotubes and nanotubes made of several noncarbon materials (e.g., metals, oxides, semiconductors) have been progressing rapidly, proteinaceous nanotubes remained largely underexplored. Here, by retrofitting a template wetting approach with multiple silk-based suspensions, we present a rapidly scalable and robust technology for fabricating large arrays (e.g., 20 × 20 cm2) of well-aligned 1D nanostructures made of silk proteins. Benefiting from the polymorphic nature of silk, precise control over the size, density, aspect ratio, and morphology (tubes versus pillars) of silk nanostructures is achieved, which then allows for programmable modulation of the end materials' functions and properties (e.g., hydrophobicity, oleophilicity, and gas permeability). The silk nanotube arrays fabricated present great utility as antifouling coatings against marine algae and in oil extraction from oil-water mixtures.

Drug Delivery in Plants Using Silk Microneedles.

New systems for agrochemical delivery in plants will foster precise agricultural practices and provide new tools to study plants and design crop traits, as standard spray methods suffer from elevated loss and limited access to remote plant tissues. Silk-based microneedles can circumvent these limitations by deploying a known amount of payloads directly in plants' deep tissues. However, plant response to microneedles' application and microneedles' efficacy in deploying physiologically relevant biomolecules are unknown. Here, it is shown that gene expression associated with Arabidopsis thaliana wounding response decreases within 24 h post microneedles' application. Additionally, microinjection of gibberellic acid (GA3 ) in A. thaliana mutant ft-10 provides a more effective and efficient mean than spray to activate GA3 pathways, accelerating bolting and inhibiting flower formation. Microneedle efficacy in delivering GA3 is also observed in several monocot and dicot crop species, i.e., tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), rice (Oryza Sativa), maize (Zea mays), barley (Hordeum vulgare), and soybean (Glycine max). The wide range of plants that can be successfully targeted with microinjectors opens the doors to their use in plant science and agriculture.

Microencapsulation of High-Content Actives Using Biodegradable Silk Materials.

There is a compelling need across several industries to substitute non-degradable, intentionally added microplastics with biodegradable alternatives. Nonetheless, stringent performance criteria in actives' controlled release and manufacturing at scale of emerging materials hinder the replacement of polymers used for microplastics fabrication with circular ones. Here, the authors demonstrate that active microencapsulation in a structural protein such as silk fibroin can be achieved by modulating protein protonation and chain relaxation at the point of material assembly. Silk fibroin micelles' size is tuned from several to hundreds of nanometers, enabling the manufacturing-by retrofitting spray drying and spray freeze drying techniques-of microcapsules with tunable morphology and structure, that is, hollow-spongy, hollow-smooth, hollow crumpled matrices, and hollow crumpled multi-domain. Microcapsules degradation kinetics and sustained release of soluble and insoluble payloads typically used in cosmetic and agriculture applications are controlled by modulating fibroin's beta-sheet content from 20% to near 40%. Ultraviolet-visible studies indicate that burst release of a commonly used herbicide (i.e., saflufenacil) significantly decreases from 25% to 0.8% via silk fibroin microencapsulation. As a proof-of-concept for agrochemicals applications, a 6-day greenhouse trial demonstrates that saflufenacil delivered on corn plants via silk microcapsules reduces crop injury when compared to the non-encapsulated version.

Biomaterials for boosting food security.

Renewable silk-protein technologies promote plant growth and reduce food waste.

Bioformulation of Silk-Based Coating to Preserve and Deliver Rhizobium tropici to Phaseolus vulgaris Under Saline Environments.

Seed priming has been for a long time an efficient application method of biofertilizers and biocontrol agents. Due to the quick degradation of the priming agents, this technique has been limited to specific immediate uses. With the increase of awareness of the importance of sustainable use of biofertilizers, seed coating has presented a competitive advantage regarding its ability to adhere easily to the seed, preserve the inoculant, and decompose in the soil. This study compared primed Phaseolus vulgaris seeds with Rhizobium tropici and trehalose with coated seeds using a silk solution mixed with R. tropici and trehalose. We represented the effect of priming and seed coating on seed germination and the development of seedlings by evaluating physiological and morphological parameters under different salinity levels (0, 20, 50, and 75 mM). Results showed that germination and morphological parameters have been significantly enhanced by applying R. tropici and trehalose. Seedlings of coated seeds show higher root density than the freshly primed seeds and the control. The physiological response has been evaluated through the stomatal conductance, the chlorophyll content, and the total phenolic compounds. The stability of these physiological traits indicated the role of trehalose in the protection of the photosystems of the plant under low and medium salinity levels. R. tropici and trehalose helped the plant mitigate the negative impact of salt stress on all traits. These findings represent an essential contribution to our understanding of stress responses in coated and primed seeds. This knowledge is essential to the design of coating materials optimized for stressed environments. However, further progress in this area of research must anticipate the development of coatings adapted to different stresses using micro and macro elements, bacteria, and fungi with a significant focus on biopolymers for sustainable agriculture and soil microbiome preservation.

Soil Sensors and Plant Wearables for Smart and Precision Agriculture.

Soil sensors and plant wearables play a critical role in smart and precision agriculture via monitoring real-time physical and chemical signals in the soil, such as temperature, moisture, pH, and pollutants and providing key information to optimize crop growth circumstances, fight against biotic and abiotic stresses, and enhance crop yields. Herein, the recent advances of the important soil sensors in agricultural applications, including temperature sensors, moisture sensors, organic matter compounds sensors, pH sensors, insect/pest sensors, and soil pollutant sensors are reviewed. Major sensing technologies, designs, performance, and pros and cons of each sensor category are highlighted. Emerging technologies such as plant wearables and wireless sensor networks are also discussed in terms of their applications in precision agriculture. The research directions and challenges of soil sensors and intelligent agriculture are finally presented.

Self-Perpetuating Carbon Foam Microwave Plasma Conversion of Hydrocarbon Wastes into Useful Fuels and Chemicals.

White wastes (unseparated plastics, face masks, textiles, etc.) pose a serious challenge to sustainable human development and the ecosystem and have recently been exacerbated due to the surge in plastic usage and medical wastes from COVID-19. Current recycling methods such as chemical recycling, mechanical recycling, and incineration require either pre-sorting and washing or releasing CO2. In this work, a carbon foam microwave plasma process is developed, utilizing plasma discharge to generate surface temperatures exceeding ∼3000 K in a N2 atmosphere, to convert unsorted white wastes into gases (H2, CO, C2H4, C3H6, CH4, etc.) and small amounts of inorganic minerals and solid carbon, which can be buried as artificial "coal". This process is self-perpetuating, as the new solid carbon asperities grafted onto the foam's surface actually increase the plasma discharge efficiency over time. This process has been characterized by in situ optical probes and infrared sensors and optimized to handle most of the forms of white waste without the need for pre-sorting or washing. Thermal measurement and modeling show that in a flowing reactor, the device can achieve locally extremely high temperatures, but the container wall will still be cold and can be made with cheap materials, and thus, a miniaturized waste incinerator is possible that also takes advantage of intermittent renewable electricity.

Engineering the Plant Microenvironment To Facilitate Plant-Growth-Promoting Microbe Association.

New technologies that enhance soil biodiversity and minimize the use of scarce resources while boosting crop production are highly sought to mitigate the increasing threats that climate change, population growth, and desertification pose on the food infrastructure. In particular, solutions based on plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) bring merits of self-replication, low environmental impact, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stressors, and reduction of inputs, such as fertilizers. However, challenges in facilitating PGPB delivery in the soil still persist and include survival to desiccation, precise delivery, programmable resuscitation, competition with the indigenous rhizosphere, and soil structure. These factors play a critical role in microbial root association and development of a beneficial plant microbiome. Engineering the seed microenvironment with protein and polysaccharides is one proposed way to deliver PGPB precisely and effectively in the seed spermosphere. In this review, we will cover new advancements in the precise and scalable delivery of microbial inoculants, also highlighting the latest development of multifunctional rhizobacteria solutions that have beneficial impact on not only legumes but also cereals. To conclude, we will discuss the role that legislators and policymakers play in promoting the adoption of new technologies that can enhance the sustainability of crop production.

Programmable design of seed coating function induces water-stress tolerance in semi-arid regions.

In semi-arid regions, water stress during seed germination and early seedling growth is the highest cause of crop loss. In nature, some seeds (for example, chia and basil) produce a mucilage-based hydrogel that creates a germination-promoting microenvironment by retaining water, regulating nutrient entry and facilitating interactions with beneficial microorganisms. Inspired by this strategy, a two-layered biopolymer-based seed coating has been developed to increase germination and water-stress tolerance in semi-arid, sandy soils. Seeds are coated with a silk/trehalose inner layer containing rhizobacteria and a pectin/carboxymethylcellulose outer layer that reswells upon sowing and acts as a water jacket. Using Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean) cultured under water-stress conditions in an experimental farm in Ben Guerir, Morocco, the proposed seed coating effectively delivered rhizobacteria to form root nodules, resulted in plants with better health and mitigated water stress in drought-prone marginal lands. A programmable seed coating technology has the potential to increase seed germination and water-stress tolerance in semi-arid, sandy soils.

Precision Delivery of Multiscale Payloads to Tissue-Specific Targets in Plants.

The precise deployment of functional payloads to plant tissues is a new approach to help advance the fundamental understanding of plant biology and accelerate plant engineering. Here, the design of a silk-based biomaterial is reported to fabricate a microneedle-like device, dubbed "phytoinjector," capable of delivering a variety of payloads ranging from small molecules to large proteins into specific loci of various plant tissues. It is shown that phytoinjector can be used to deliver payloads into plant vasculature to study material transport in xylem and phloem and to perform complex biochemical reactions in situ. In another application, it is demonstrated Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer to shoot apical meristem (SAM) and leaves at various stages of growth. Tuning of the material composition enables the fabrication of another device, dubbed "phytosampler," which is used to precisely sample plant sap. The design of plant-specific biomaterials to fabricate devices for drug delivery in planta opens new avenues to enhance plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, provides new tools for diagnostics, and enables new opportunities in plant engineering.

Poly(d,l-Lactic acid) Composite Foams Containing Phosphate Glass Particles Produced via Solid-State Foaming Using CO2 for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications.

This study reports on the production and characterization of highly porous (up to 91%) composite foams for potential bone tissue engineering (BTE) applications. A calcium phosphate-based glass particulate (PGP) filler of the formulation 50P2O5-40CaO-10TiO2 mol.%, was incorporated into biodegradable poly(d,l-lactic acid) (PDLLA) at 5, 10, 20, and 30 vol.%. The composites were fabricated by melt compounding (extrusion) and compression molding, and converted into porous structures through solid-state foaming (SSF) using high-pressure gaseous carbon dioxide. The morphological and mechanical properties of neat PDLLA and composites in both nonporous and porous states were examined. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed that the PGPs were well dispersed throughout the matrices. The highly porous composite systems exhibited improved compressive strength and Young's modulus (up to >2-fold) and well-interconnected macropores (up to ~78% open pores at 30 vol.% PGP) compared to those of the neat PDLLA foam. The pore size of the composite foams decreased with increasing PGPs content from an average of 920 µm for neat PDLLA foam to 190 µm for PDLLA-30PGP. Furthermore, the experimental data was in line with the Gibson and Ashby model, and effective microstructural changes were confirmed to occur upon 30 vol.% PGP incorporation. Interestingly, the SSF technique allowed for a high incorporation of bioactive particles (up to 30 vol.%-equivalent to ~46 wt.%) while maintaining the morphological and mechanical criteria required for BTE scaffolds. Based on the results, the SSF technique can offer more advantages and flexibility for designing composite foams with tunable characteristics compared to other methods used for the fabrication of BTE scaffolds.

Polypeptide templating for designer hierarchical materials.

Despite advances in directing the assembly of biomacromolecules into well-defined nanostructures, leveraging pathway complexity of molecular disorder to order transition while bridging materials fabrication from nano- to macroscale remains a challenge. Here, we present templated crystallization of structural proteins to nanofabricate hierarchically structured materials up to centimeter scale, using silk fibroin as an example. The process involves the use of ordered peptide supramolecular assemblies as templates to direct the folding and assembly of silk fibroin into nanofibrillar structures. Silk polymorphs can be engineered by varying the peptide seeds used. Modulation of the relative concentration between silk fibroin and peptide seeds, silk fibroin molecular weight and pH allows control over nanofibrils morphologies and mechanical properties. Finally, facile integration of the bottom-up templated crystallization with emerging top-down techniques enables the generation of macroscopic nanostructured materials with potential applications in information storage/encryption, surface functionalization, and printable three-dimensional constructs of customized architecture and controlled anisotropy.

A bioinspired approach to engineer seed microenvironment to boost germination and mitigate soil salinity.

Human population growth, soil degradation, and agrochemical misuse are significant challenges that agriculture must face in the upcoming decades as it pertains to global food production. Seed enhancement technologies will play a pivotal role in supporting food security by enabling germination of seeds in degraded environments, reducing seed germination time, and boosting crop yields. So far, a great effort has been pursued in designing plants that can adapt to different environments and germinate in the presence of abiotic stressors, such as soil salinity, heat, and drought. The technology proposed here seeks a different goal: To engineer the microenvironment of seeds by encapsulation, preservation, and precise delivery of biofertilizers that can boost seed germination and mitigate abiotic stressors. In particular, we developed a biomaterial based on silk fibroin (S) and trehalose that can be mixed with rhizobacteria and applied on the surface of seeds, retrofitting currently used techniques for seed coating, i.e., dip coating or spray drying. A micrometer thick transparent robust coating is formed by material assembly. The combination of a polymorphic protein as S and of a disaccharide used by living systems to tolerate abiotic stressors provides a beneficial environment for the survival of nonspore forming rhizobacteria outside the soil and in anhydrous conditions. Using Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 and Phaseolus vulgaris as working models, we demonstrated that rhizobacteria delivered in the soil after coating dissolution infect seedlings' roots, form root nodules, enhance yield, boost germination, and mitigate soil salinity.