The video demonstrates how to propagate small potted citrus trees and attach a 3D-printed Direct Plant Infusion (DPI) device to their trunks. It includes instructions for creating a hole in the trunk, fitting the device, and ensuring proper alignment for effective compound delivery, using specific materials like silicone tape.

attachment of the direct plant infusion (dpi) device to citrus plants for compound injection

Molecule Delivery in Plants Using a Direct Infusion Device

The management of plants in commercial and landscape settings often requires the use of chemical compounds to optimize the plant growth and health. How these molecules are delivered depends on the type of molecule, the function of the molecule, the type of plant, and the management system in place. Foliar and soil applications are the easiest delivery strategies, but limitations in the uptake of some molecules necessitate direct delivery. An example of these molecules is therapeutic molecules that function best when they move systemically within the plant but cannot be effectively delivered by simple topical applications1. This is the case with Huanglongbing (HLB), also called citrus greening disease. HLB is a disease associated with a phloem-limited bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), which cannot be cultured outside of the plant, or its insect vector, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (D. citri)2.
If the putative therapeutic molecules are gene products, they can be tested by creating transgenic plants expressing these compounds. However, transgenic plant production can be time- and resource-intensive, is highly genotype-dependent, and can be inhibited by gene silencing3. In addition, even if these transgenics show promising results, regulatory and public perception constraints reduce the likelihood of their commercial acceptance4,5. The exogenous application of compounds, however, simplifies the testing of biological and synthetic molecules because it does not require the production of stable or transiently expressing transgenic plants, which reduces the time and resources for testing a molecule&#39;s effects. A method for the effective and efficient systemic plant delivery of exogenous compounds could be used for a wide variety of research and screening purposes.
One of these applications is the analysis of systemic molecule movement within a plant&#39;s vascular system, which can be done using trackable markers, whether they are fluorescent, visible, or unique chemical isotopes6,7,8,9. One commonly used fluorescent marker is 5,6-carboxyfluorescein-diacetate (CFDA), which is a membrane-permeable dye that is degraded by intracellular esterases into 5,6-carboxyfluorescein (CF) and, subsequently, becomes fluorescent and membrane-impermeable10. CFDA has been extensively used to monitor phloem transport, sink and source relationships, and vasculature patterning in plant tissue11,12.
In addition to these markers, certain compounds may directly alter the plant&#39;s physiology to increase the productivity or kill the plant in the case of herbicides. Both insecticides and antimicrobial compounds are a means of increasing plant productivity, especially in the presence of HLB. An example of an antimicrobial molecule that is used to control CLas is streptomycin. Streptomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that was originally isolated from Streptomyces griseus and has been shown to inhibit bacterial growth through the inhibition of protein biosynthesis13. In terms of insecticides, the main target for HLB research is D. citri, which transmits CLas from tree to tree14. For this purpose, neonicotinoids, such as imidacloprid, are commonly utilized, as they are the gold standard for controlling insect pests15. All these varied uses are important aspects of current plant management strategies, and the development of novel products is dependent on efficient screening assays.
One method that is used for the introduction of compounds into woody plants is direct injection into the trunk. A variety of systems have been designed that vary in their needs for predrilled injection sites, and these systems utilize either pressure-based injection or passive flow16. Although pressure-based systems allow for the quick introduction of a given compound, the potential physical damage caused by forcing liquid through blocked or embolized vasculature needs to be considered17. Although the foliar or drench application of compounds is less time-intensive to implement, direct plant injection reduces waste of the compound of interest due to losses to the air or soil and can also lengthen the time that compounds are in an active state by reducing the exposure to the outside environment18. Both these aspects are important for preserving expensive reagents and ensuring consistency among replicates in research settings.
This study describes the design, construction, and use of an innovative direct plant infusion (DPI) device, which can be used to assess how compounds of interest affect a host plant. A standard 3D printer was used to manufacture both the device itself and several components associated with its construction. This in-house construction method allows researchers to modify the device and device components based on their specific experimental needs and reduces the reliance on commercially available plant injection devices. The device setup is simple and efficient, and all the auxiliary components are readily available and inexpensive. Although the system was designed for use with a variety of plant species, the examples presented here pertain to potted citrus plants. Additionally, this study demonstrates that this device is capable of efficiently delivering multiple types of compounds systemically to young citrus plants without causing lethality. The compounds tested included CFDA, which was used to assess the compound distribution in the plant, and streptomycin and imidacloprid, which were used to verify that the antimicrobial and insecticidal effects of these compounds were observed when delivered via DPI.

Author Spotlight: Direct Infusion Device for Molecule Delivery in Plants  

Direct Infusion Device for Molecule Delivery in Plants

Delivering a therapeutic molecule to where a pathogen resides in a plant can be challenging. Treating Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, or CLas, a bacteria that is limited to the phloem, poses one of the biggest challenges in delivering molecules against it, especially when using conventional methods such as spray applications. The ease of printing the direct plant infusion device and its simple implementation makes it accessible to anyone.This enables the widespread screening of molecules for their potential therapeutic effect in trees. An added benefit is that the diffusion of molecules utilizes the natural process of plant transpiration. Our research improved efficiency and precision of molecular delivery in plants, which can be used for a range of research applications.By screening hundreds of molecules on small plants, we can eliminate the need for larger trees, leading to a reduction in cost and space utilization.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Attachment of the Direct Plant Infusion DPI Device to Citrus Plants for Compound Injection at JoVE.com

Attachment of the Direct Plant Infusion (DPI) Device to Citrus Plants for Compound Injection  

Propagate small potted citrus trees from rooted vegetative cuttings or seeds. Grow the potted citrus lines at 28 degrees Celsius, maintaining a proper day length. Select citrus plants of the appropriate size for the experiment.To attach the 3D-printed Direct Plant Infusion or DPI device to the trunk of the plant, find a smooth, healthy site on the trunk without bumps or knots. Using a two-millimeter-diameter drill bit, horizontally drill a hole through the center of the stem at an angle of 90 degrees to the trunk surface. Run the drill bit through the hole several times to create an unobstructed, smooth hole.Then create a vertical slice in the plastisol ring on the opposite side of the compound delivery channel. Fit the ring around the plant, aligning the delivery channel with the previously-drilled hole. Attach the DPI device to the plastisol ring, ensuring they fit snugly together, and align the DPI device spout with the plastisol ring delivery channel and the drilled hole.Wrap it tightly with silicone tape to hold the apparatus in place. Inspect the fully assembled and attached device to ensure proper alignment and orientation. The groove around the vertical channel allowed additional compound uptake through the bark.When assembled properly, the plastisol ring flushed against the DPI device and the spout lined up with a hole drilled in the tree.

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Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

251 Views.  United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory. Propagate small potted citrus trees from rooted vegetative cuttings or seeds. Grow the potted citrus lines at 28 degrees Celsius, maintaining a proper day length. Select citrus plants of the appropriate size for the experiment.To attach the 3D-printed Direct Plant Infusion or DPI device to the trunk of the plant, find a smooth, healthy site on the trunk without bumps or knots. Using a two-millimeter-diameter drill bit, horizontally drill a hole through the center of the stem at an angl...

Video: Attachment of the Direct Plant Infusion (DPI) Device to Citrus Plants for Compound Injection  

Testing the function of therapeutic compounds in plants is an important component of agricultural research. Foliar and soil-drench methods are routine but have drawbacks, including variable uptake and the environmental breakdown of tested molecules. Trunk injection of trees is well-established, but most methods for this require expensive, proprietary equipment. To screen various treatments for Huanglongbing, a simple, low-cost method to deliver these compounds to the vascular tissue of small greenhouse-grown citrus trees infected with the phloem-limited bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) or infested with the phloem-feeding CLas insect vector Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (D. citri) is needed.
To meet these screening requirements, a direct plant infusion (DPI) device was designed that connects to the plant&#39;s trunk. The device is made using a nylon-based 3D-printing system and easily obtainable auxiliary components. The compound uptake efficacy of this device was tested in citrus plants using the fluorescent marker 5,6-carboxyfluorescein-diacetate. Uniform compound distribution of the marker throughout the plants was routinely observed.
Furthermore, this device was used to deliver antimicrobial and insecticidal molecules to determine their effects on CLas and D. citri respectively. The aminoglycoside antibiotic streptomycin was delivered into CLas-infected citrus plants using the device, which resulted in a reduction in the CLas titer from 2 weeks to 4 weeks post treatment. Delivering the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid into D. citri-infested citrus plants resulted in a significant increase in psyllid mortality after 7 days. These results suggest that this DPI device represents a useful system for delivering molecules into plants for&#160;testing and facilitate research and screening purposes.

This manuscript describes a novel direct plant infusion device for screening the effectiveness of molecules against the bacteria (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus) or its insect vector (Diaphorina citri, Kuwayama) that, in combination, are associated with Huanglongbing citrus disease.

Testing the function of therapeutic compounds in plants is an important component of agricultural research. Foliar and soil-drench methods are routine but ...

﻿3D-Printing of Direct Plant Infusion (DPI) Device and Fabrication of Plastisol Rings

3D-Printing of Direct Plant Infusion (DPI) Device and Fabrication of Plastisol Rings  

To begin 3D printing the direct plant infusion or DPI device and mold components, apply a thin layer of polyvinyl acetate-based glue on the print bed of the printer. Load nylon filament into the printer and prepare the printer per the manufacturer's instructions. After importing the desired STL files, set up the printer and start printing.Once the piece is removed from the print bed after printing, rinse the polyvinyl acetate-based glue from the base of the printed component with water. Spray the printed DPI device and other components with two coats of clear gloss spray paint. To fabricate the plastisol ring mold, assemble a mold form by building a rectangular enclosure using snap-together plastic blocks on a base.It should be large enough to hold the pattern pieces. Mix the room temperature vulcanizing silicone or RTV silicone monomer and the catalyst together at a 10:1 ratio by stirring for one minute. Color the solution by adding three drops of food coloring and one milliliter of hand soap per 25 milliliters of silicone mixture.Then, pour a thin layer of the silicone solution into the mold form sufficiently to fully cover the bottom of the mold form. Tamp to flatten the surface of the poured silicone, and wait for 24 hours to set the silicone. Once the silicone is set, pour another layer of silicone deep enough to cover the center hole core print of the pattern.Insert the pattern into the liquid silicone with the center hole core print facing down. Ensure that no bubbles are trapped and the patterns are well separated and not touching each other. Secure the patterns with either a heavy object or tape to prevent them from floating out of the silicone while it sets.Once set, pour additional layers of silicone into the mold form until the level is flush with the top of the pattern. Let the silicone cure for 24 hours. Disassemble the snap-together plastic blocks to release the mold.Then, remove the patterns from the mold and inspect the mold for tears or deformities. For casting the plastisol rings, coat the interior of the mold, all the core components, and the O-rings with cooking oil. Place an O-ring around the notch in the middle of the center post core, and place the core in the center hole of the plastisol ring mold.Insert the delivery channel core into the space on the side of the plastisol ring mold. Orient the V-shaped tip at the end of the delivery channel core to align with the O-ring on the center post core. Next, heat plastisol in the microwave for short bursts of 10 seconds till the solution reaches 160 to 170 degrees Celsius.In between, stir the plastisol gently to avoid bubbles. Pour the molten plastisol into the plastisol ring mold near the outside edge of the mold without introducing bubbles. Wait one hour for the plastisol rings to cool.Then, remove the rings from the mold. The DPI device was eight centimeters in height and three centimeters in width. It had a single central reservoir contiguous with the spout.The total volume that can be contained within these components is 2.0 milliliters. The 1.8 centimeter tall and 2.7 centimeter wide plastisol ring also contained two channels. One to accommodate the DPI device spout and another of variable diameter for fitting around the trunk of the tree.When assembled properly, the plastisol ring should be flush against the DPI device and the spout should line up with the hole drilled in the tree.

Applying Compounds to Citrus Plants Using a Novel 3D-Printed Direct Plant Infusion (DPI) Device

To apply compounds to the plants using the Novel 3D-Printed Direct Plant Infusion, or DPI device, ensure the device is properly fitted to the plants. When assembled properly, the plastisol ring should be flush against the DPI device and the spout should line up with the hole drilled in the tree. Use a syringe or pipette to fill the DPI device with the compound solution of interest.Using a syringe, penetrate the silicone tape and plastisol ring opposite to the DPI device to extract air from the interior channel. Replace any extracted compound back into the DPI device. Add an additional small patch of silicone tape over the hole created by the syringe to reinforce the area and prevent tears.Inspect the apparatus for visible leakages at the attachment point and inspect the device reservoir for a stable liquid level. Cover the open end of the DPI device with a wax sealing film and pull it down to form a seal to reduce the evaporation of the experimental compound. Poke a single a hole in the wax film with a syringe tip to prevent the development of a vacuum, and subsequently refill the device.Check the apparatus daily to ensure proper alignment of the components, and top off the liquid using a syringe to avoid the reservoir running dry til the desired amount is delivered. When two milliliters of two millimolar CFDA dye was introduced to the plant using the DPI device, a fluorescent signal was detected in the vasculature of the treated plant, but was absent in the controlled plant treated with 20%DMSO in water. This signal was observed within 24 hours of treatment, evenly throughout the dissected plant tissue types.Treatment of streptomycin on Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus or CLass positive plants showed a reduction in the mean bacterial titer to 28 days after treatment compared to the control. The treated plants showed a lower mean CLas titer over all combined time points. The streptomycin treated plants as compared to the controls showed an occasional increase in new healthy flush growth after 60 days.Imidacloprid treatment on plants significantly reduced nymph emergence at the highest Imidacloprid concentration compared to the corresponding egg count. This was visually apparent in the reduction in nymph honeydew production.