Scientists Develop Plant That Turns Red to Detect Toxic Pesticides

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have engineered a plant that changes color to beet red when exposed to the banned pesticide azinphos-ethyl. This innovation has the potential to create plants that can alert humans to the presence of harmful pollutants and pesticides in their environment.The engineered plant uses a protein called abscisic acid (ABA) to detect and respond to environmental stressors. The research team demonstrated that ABA receptor proteins can be trained to bind to chemicals other than ABA, allowing the plant to detect specific toxins. When these receptors bind to azinphos-ethyl, the plant turns beet red.Azinphos-ethyl is a pesticide that has been banned in many places because of its toxicity to humans. The ability to detect such harmful substances through a visual cue in plants could have significant implications for environmental monitoring and public health.Why this matters: This innovation has significant implications for environmental monitoring and public health, as it could provide a simple and effective way to detect harmful pollutants and pesticides. If successfully developed and implemented, it could lead to improved environmental safety and reduced health risks for humans and wildlife.Ian Wheeldon, associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering at UCR, highlighted the innovation’s significance: “The biggest piece here is we’ve created an environmental sensor without modifying the plant’s native metabolism.”Sean Cutler, UCR professor of plant cell biology, added, “If you had a field of these and they turned red, that would be pretty obvious, visually.” Cutler also expressed aspirations for the future: “It would be great if we could eventually design one plant to sense 100 banned pesticides, a one-stop shop.”This research, published in Nature Chemical Biology, also demonstrated that yeast could be engineered to detect multiple chemicals simultaneously. However, this capability has not yet been achieved in plants. The engineered plants are not yet commercially available and would require regulatory approvals, which could take many years.The potential applications of this technology extend beyond detecting pesticides. The researchers aim to develop plants capable of sensing a wide range of chemicals, including other pollutants, drugs, and environmental toxins. Such advancements could be crucial in environmental health and safety, providing an efficient and visually straightforward method for monitoring hazardous substances.Notably, the development of a plant that turns beet red in the presence of azinphos-ethyl marks a significant step in environmental monitoring. By leveraging the natural capabilities of plants, scientists at UCR have opened new avenues for detecting and responding to environmental hazards.Key Takeaways Engineered plant turns beet red when exposed to banned pesticide azinphos-ethyl. Plant uses protein abscisic acid (ABA) to detect environmental stressors. Innovation could lead to plants detecting harmful pollutants and pesticides. Technology has significant implications for environmental monitoring and public health. Future goal: design one plant to sense 100 banned pesticides.