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Biosensors
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Biosensors in Agroecosystems
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Biosensors in Agroecosystems

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2015) | Viewed by 62755

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Glen C. Rains

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biosensors is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • toxins
  • plant health
  • trophic interactions
  • chemical signals
  • site-specific agriculture
  • chemical ecology
  • kairomones
  • pest detection
  • plant pathogens
  • precision agriculture
  • sustainable agriculture

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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454 KiB  
Article
Escherichia coli O-Antigen Gene Clusters of Serogroups O62, O68, O131, O140, O142, and O163: DNA Sequences and Similarity between O62 and O68, and PCR-Based Serogrouping
by Yanhong Liu, Xianghe Yan, Chitrita DebRoy, Pina M. Fratamico, David S. Needleman, Robert W. Li, Wei Wang, Liliana Losada, Lauren Brinkac, Diana Radune, Magaly Toro, Narasimha Hegde and Jianghong Meng
Biosensors 2015, 5(1), 51-68; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios5010051 - 05 Feb 2015
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 7806
Abstract
The DNA sequence of the O-antigen gene clusters of Escherichia coli serogroups O62, O68, O131, O140, O142, and O163 was determined, and primers based on the wzx (O-antigen flippase) and/or wzy (O-antigen polymerase) genes within the O-antigen gene clusters were designed and used [...] Read more.
The DNA sequence of the O-antigen gene clusters of Escherichia coli serogroups O62, O68, O131, O140, O142, and O163 was determined, and primers based on the wzx (O-antigen flippase) and/or wzy (O-antigen polymerase) genes within the O-antigen gene clusters were designed and used in PCR assays to identify each serogroup. Specificity was tested with E. coli reference strains, field isolates belonging to the target serogroups, and non-E. coli bacteria. The PCR assays were highly specific for the respective serogroups; however, the PCR assay targeting the O62 wzx gene reacted positively with strains belonging to E. coli O68, which was determined by serotyping. Analysis of the O-antigen gene cluster sequences of serogroups O62 and O68 reference strains showed that they were 94% identical at the nucleotide level, although O62 contained an insertion sequence (IS) element located between the rmlA and rmlC genes within the O-antigen gene cluster. A PCR assay targeting the rmlA and rmlC genes flanking the IS element was used to differentiate O62 and O68 serogroups. The PCR assays developed in this study can be used for the detection and identification of E. coli O62/O68, O131, O140, O142, and O163 strains isolated from different sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biosensors in Agroecosystems)
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Review

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916 KiB  
Review
Current and Prospective Methods for Plant Disease Detection
by Yi Fang and Ramaraja P. Ramasamy
Biosensors 2015, 5(3), 537-561; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios5030537 - 06 Aug 2015
Cited by 430 | Viewed by 37429
Abstract
Food losses due to crop infections from pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and fungi are persistent issues in agriculture for centuries across the globe. In order to minimize the disease induced damage in crops during growth, harvest and postharvest processing, as well as [...] Read more.
Food losses due to crop infections from pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and fungi are persistent issues in agriculture for centuries across the globe. In order to minimize the disease induced damage in crops during growth, harvest and postharvest processing, as well as to maximize productivity and ensure agricultural sustainability, advanced disease detection and prevention in crops are imperative. This paper reviews the direct and indirect disease identification methods currently used in agriculture. Laboratory-based techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunofluorescence (IF), fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometry (FCM) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) are some of the direct detection methods. Indirect methods include thermography, fluorescence imaging and hyperspectral techniques. Finally, the review also provides a comprehensive overview of biosensors based on highly selective bio-recognition elements such as enzyme, antibody, DNA/RNA and bacteriophage as a new tool for the early identification of crop diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biosensors in Agroecosystems)
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963 KiB  
Review
Biosensors for the Detection of Antibiotics in Poultry Industry—A Review
by Nawfal Adam Mungroo and Suresh Neethirajan
Biosensors 2014, 4(4), 472-493; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios4040472 - 21 Nov 2014
Cited by 117 | Viewed by 16807
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is emerging as a potential threat in the next decades. This is a global phenomenon whereby globalization is acting as a catalyst. Presently, the most common techniques used for the detection of antibiotics are biosensors, ELISA and liquid chromatography—mass spectrometry. Each [...] Read more.
Antibiotic resistance is emerging as a potential threat in the next decades. This is a global phenomenon whereby globalization is acting as a catalyst. Presently, the most common techniques used for the detection of antibiotics are biosensors, ELISA and liquid chromatography—mass spectrometry. Each of these techniques has its benefits as well as drawbacks. This review aims to evaluate different biosensing techniques and their working principles in order to accurately, quickly and practically detect antibiotics in chicken muscle and blood serum. The review is divided into three main sections, namely: a biosensors overview, a section on biosensor recognition and a section on biosensor transducing elements. The first segment provides a detailed overview on the different techniques available and their respective advantages and disadvantages. The second section consists of an evaluation of several analyte systems and their mechanisms. The last section of this review studies the working principles of biosensing transducing elements, focusing mainly on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology and its applications in industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biosensors in Agroecosystems)
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