Ecosystem for determining plant-microbe interactions
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and devices for determining plant-microbe interactions. In some embodiments, the device comprises: a root chamber configured to allow a root of a plant to grow, wherein the root chamber is connected with: an inlet channel for introducing a medium into the root chamber, an outlet channel for collecting plant exudates and metabolites, and a plant reservoir for the plant shoot of the plant to grow.
1. A device for determining plant growth, comprising:
(i) a root chamber configured to allow a root of a plant to grow, wherein the root chamber is connected with:
an inlet channel for introducing a medium into the root chamber,
an outlet channel for collecting plant exudates and metabolites, and
a plant reservoir for the plant shoot of the plant to grow; and
(ii) an outer chamber for the plant to grow comprising an upper chamber and a lower chamber having an air-tight seal in-between.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the root chamber has a volume of 1-5 ml.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the root chamber is created by a cavity of a first layer and a second layer.
4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the first layer comprises a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer.
5. The device of claim 3 , wherein the second layer comprises a glass layer.
6. The device of claim 3 , wherein the first layer is reversibly attached to the second layer.
7. The device of claim 3 , wherein the first layer is permanently bond to the second layer.
8. The device of claims 3 , wherein the inlet channel, the outlet channel, and the plant reservoir are disposed in the first layer.
9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is formed using a mold.
10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the mold comprises a base piece and a side piece, and wherein the base piece is reversibly attached to the side piece to form the mold.
11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the medium comprises one or more microorganisms.
12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the medium comprises a solid medium, a liquid medium, a gaseous medium, or a combination thereof.
13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device and/or the root chamber is configured for vertical placement or operation.
14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device and/or the root chamber is configured for horizontal placement or operation.
15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the lower chamber comprises a base connected to a tube.
16. The device of claim 1 , wherein the upper chamber comprises a tube, wherein the height of the tube is selected based on the plant.
17. The device of claim 1 , wherein the air-tight seal between the lower chamber and the upper chamber is formed by a rubber gasket between the lower chamber and the upper chamber.
18. A system for determining plant-microbe interactions, comprising:
a device of claim 1 , and
a docking station for temperature control of the device, media introduction into the device, sampling from the device, lighting of the device, imaging the root chamber, performing spectroscopy analysis, or a combination thereof.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the docking station comprises at least one docking bay for receiving the device.
20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the docking station comprises a growth light.
21. The system of claim 18 , wherein the system comprises a liquid handling device.
22. The system of claim 18 , wherein the system comprises a storage device.
23. A method for determining plant-microbe interactions, comprising:
growing a plant in a medium comprising one or more microorganisms using a system of claim 18 , and
performing an analysis of the plant.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the analysis includes imaging the plant and spectroscopy analysis of the plant.
25. The method of claim 24 , wherein imaging the plant comprises light imaging the plant and performing Nanostructure-Initiator Mass Spectrometry (NIMS) analysis of the plant.