Scientists at Delft University of Technology, in collaboration with Utrecht University, have developed a method that allows plant infections to be monitored in real time and in 3D, without the need to destroy the infected plant. This new technique, called dynamic optical coherence tomography (dOCT), is being hailed as a milestone in agricultural research. The study details how the technology can be used to better understand how pathogens, such as the downy mildew (bremia lactucae), behave within living plant tissues.
“Unlike previous techniques, which required killing the plant and using dyes for microscopic observation, dOCT allows us to visualize disease development in real time while preserving the living plant,” explains Jeroen Kalkman, associate professor of imaging physics.
This method allows scientists to monitor the progression of the disease continuously, accelerating the acquisition of essential data for the development of more resistant plant varieties.
Lettuce varieties resistant to downy mildew are already common among farmers. However, as with coronaviruses in humans, downy mildew is constantly mutating, creating variants that can infect plants previously considered resistant. This “race” between developing new strains of pathogens and creating resistant cultivars forces the scientific community to be constantly innovating.
“There are resistant lettuce varieties, but the disease evolves, and the pathogens end up finding ways to overcome this resistance,” says Jos de Wit, a physicist involved in the research. According to him, the new technology will allow for a faster reaction in the development of cultivars, since it is now possible to visualize the activity of the pathogens from the initial stages of infection.
The dOCT technique not only makes it easier to monitor plant diseases, but also holds significant promise for the future of agriculture. According to the researchers, this technology will help create crops that are more resistant to a wider range of pathogens, resulting in more abundant and healthier harvests.
“With dOCT, we can develop plants that require less pesticide use, are more resistant to extreme weather conditions and, consequently, produce more. This means we can feed more people with fewer resources,” says Kalkman. In addition, the reduced use of pesticides also represents an advantage for the environment, since the reduced use of chemicals contributes to the preservation of agricultural ecosystems.
Although initial studies focused on downy mildew infections in lettuce, the Delft team has demonstrated that the technique is effective for other types of crops. Peppers and crops infected by parasitic nematodes have been successfully analyzed using dOCT.
However, there are still challenges to be overcome before the technique becomes widely used. “We still need to make it more accessible to biologists without technical training,” says Kalkman, who sees the technology as having even greater potential to transform the way plant diseases are mapped and controlled.
With the new tool in hand, researchers hope to reduce the time and cost of developing more resistant cultivars, ensuring more sustainable and robust agricultural production in the face of global challenges. The 3D visualization technique, without the need to destroy the plant, promises to be not only a game changer for scientific research, but also for agricultural practice in the field, leading to a silent revolution in the way farmers deal with the pathogens that threaten their crops.
More information can be read at doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52594-x
Example code can be seen at doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11428245
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