Bioelectronic Platform for Enhancing Plant Growth

To cover the food demands of the growing population in the changing climate we need to increase crop yield in a sustainable manner. Hydroponics cultivation minimizes water and fertilizer use while it can be integrated in the urban environment. However, so far the substrates used in hydroponics mainly offer support to the root system. Here, we developed a bioelectronic platform that stimulates the growth of plants in a hydroponics culture. We demonstrate that Barley, one of the most important crops, grows well within the bioelectronic platform. When stimulated, the biomass of the Barley increases by 40%, and the effect is evident in both root and leaf development during the growth period after the stimulation treatment. Results also show that stimulated plants reduce and assimilate NO3^- more efficiently than controls, a finding that can have implications on minimizing fertilizers use. Our work opens the pathway for enhancing plant growth in a hydroponics setting using bioelectronics which may result in more sustainable food production.