PLANT SYSTEMS

SUBMIIATURE PROBES WILL BE DEVELOPED TO INTRODUCE A NEW MICROANALYTICAL METHOD TO INVESTIGATE THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC PROCESS WITHIN OR IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO PLANTS. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY DESIGNING A SERIES OF MINIATURIZED (100MM) OR SUBMIMIATURE (LESS THAN 25 MM) FIBER OPTIC CHEMICAL SENSORS (FOCS, OR "OPTRODE") FOR WATER VAPOR, OXYGEN, AND CARBON DIOXIDE. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY USING REMOTE FIBER FLUORIMETRY, A NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT INTEGRATES FIBER OPTICS, LASERS, CHEMISTRY, AND SPECTROSCOPY. THE KEY TO THIS APPROACH IS THE FOCS, A FIBER OPTIC WITH A CHEMICALLY REACTIVE TIP AT ITS DISTAL END. PROPER SELECTION OF FOCS CHEMISTRY PROVIDES SENSITIVE, SPECIFIC SENSORS. THE NEW METHOD HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF IN-SITU MONITORING OF THE MICRO "RESPIRATION" (GAS EXCHANGE) PROCESSES OF LEAVES, ROOTS AND OTHER ORGANS IN THIER IMMEDIATE BOUNDARY SURROUNDINGS. THE FOCS ALSO WILL BE MINIATURIZED FOR INSERTION INTO TISSUES OF LIVING PLANTS WITH NEGLIGIBLE OR MINIMUM EFFEECTS ON THE NATURAL PROCESSES. BY THE END OF PHASE I, THE FEASIBILITY OF FOCS TECHNOLOGY ADDRESSING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH PHOTOSYNTHESIS PHYSIOLOGY THAT ARE BEYOND THE STATE-OF-THE-ART CHEMICAL ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY WILL BE ESTABLISHED. THE LONG-RANGE OBJECTIVE AND BEBEFIT OF THIS PROGRAM WILL BE TO MONITOR THE EXCHANGE OF PHOTOSYNTHETICALLY IMPORTANT GASES AND TO VERIFY IMPORTANT ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT TIER TRANSPORT WITHIN PLANTS. IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS, PLANT PRODUCTIVITY, AND IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS COULD RESULT. THE NEW TECHNOLOGY ALSO WILL AFFECT OTHER AREAS OF PLANT SCIENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY SUCH AS CELL CULTURE AND POST-HARVEST PHYSIOLOGY.