Bidirectional Plant-Microneedle Responses to Guide Biomaterial Design

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Abstract
Designing biomaterials compatible with plants and specific payloads enables new technologies for precision agriculture, including targeted and efficient agrochemical delivery. However, broader implementation requires a systematic understanding of the complex interactions among payloads, biomaterial properties, and plant responses to establish foundational design principles that support a sustained biotic–abiotic interface. Using microneedles made of different polymers and microstructures, this study investigates plant–biomaterial interactions to develop effective compound delivery strategies. Biodegradation studies show that microneedle biomaterials impart distinct mechanical strength, hydrophilicity, and surface charge, which influence the release profiles of bioactive cargo. Transcriptomic analyses following microneedle injection reveal mostly universal, but some variable acute responses related to immunity and metabolism, depending on inherent biomaterial properties. Despite these responses, microneedle treatments caused minimal effects on plant growth, chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, and quantum efficiency of photosystem II. Finally, we demonstrate how biomaterial properties influence the delivery of agrochemicals with distinct chemical and functional characteristics, using hydrophilic plant growth regulator gibberellic acid (GA3) and hydrophobic herbicide pelargonic acid (PA), into tomato and lettuce, supporting the broad applicability of technology. These findings establish principles for engineering plant-biomaterial interfaces to accommodate payloads with diverse characteristics while ensuring plant safety.
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