Foliar delivery via selective laser ablation of the leaf cuticle coupled with a reservoir patch

Foliar delivery via selective laser ablation of the leaf cuticle coupled with a reservoir patch | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Foliar delivery via selective laser ablation of the leaf cuticle coupled with a reservoir patch Alejandro Ponce-Flores, Teresa Flores-Reyes, Luis Ponce‑Cabrera This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7952633/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Foliar application offers a direct and efficient pathway for delivering active compounds to plants. However, the waxy cuticle that protects leaves also acts as a strong diffusion barrier, drastically limiting the uptake of most substances. The Foliar Laser Boost (FLB) + Patch method introduces a novel, potentially generalizable approach for controlled, minimal-residue foliar delivery. A low-power diode laser locally ablates micro-windows in the cuticle without damaging underlying tissues, while a biodegradable hydrogel patch maintains prolonged contact and confinement of the applied compound, supporting high uptake under the tested conditions. To demonstrate the concept, Opulent Zn fertilizer was used as a model fertilizer and tested on morphologically distinct crops—grapevine (Vitis vinifera) and blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum). In both cases, the laser + patch combination produced a several-fold increase in uptake relative to conventional spray application, confirming the method’s reproducibility and adaptability. The FLB + Patch system thus represents a universal, sustainable platform for delivering nutrients, hormones, biostimulants, or other foliar-applied agents with unprecedented efficiency and precision. Biological sciences/Biotechnology Biological sciences/Plant sciences Epicuticular wax Foliar uptake Laser Precision agriculture Wax cuticle ablation Zinc Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 23 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 02 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 05 Nov, 2025 Editor invited by journal 03 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 31 Oct, 2025 First submitted to journal 31 Oct, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7952633","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":600899925,"identity":"82ee2d4a-cca2-4e83-811f-93d7916a264e","order_by":0,"name":"Alejandro Ponce-Flores","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Onteko Inc","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alejandro","middleName":"","lastName":"Ponce-Flores","suffix":""},{"id":600899926,"identity":"b2b6d6ce-5a6f-42dc-a8aa-bdfd4b7b864d","order_by":1,"name":"Teresa Flores-Reyes","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Onteko Inc","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Teresa","middleName":"","lastName":"Flores-Reyes","suffix":""},{"id":600899927,"identity":"f347195f-08db-45f6-bd32-82af1109b6ff","order_by":2,"name":"Luis Ponce‑Cabrera","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA7ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPgbGBiiT+QCINGBgZ27ApRoM2BBa2BIYGBKAWpjhIri0wAGPAZFaJJKbP/PusMnjb+/5+Ljwh40xPzNj4weGGpto3FoS26R5z6QVS5w5u9l4RkKamWQzY7MEw7G0XFx2gbQwzmw7nLhBInebNE/CYRuDw4xtQA8exqel+SNYi/ybZ0At/4nS0iDxEWwLDxtQywEzwlp4HrZJfDyTljjjTJqxMU9asjHYLwl4/MLPnv74Q+IOm8T+9sMPH/PY2Bn2szcf/PChxganFjDAjIgEfMqxaxkFo2AUjIJRgAQACaVU8yVg7Y0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Onteko Inc","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Luis","middleName":"","lastName":"Ponce‑Cabrera","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-27 11:27:54","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7952633/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7952633/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104402138,"identity":"2cd3a6d9-c5dc-45e2-a4cb-07f7d42f2b82","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-11 12:14:28","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":460629,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptlaserpatchesV2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7952633/v1_covered_ce070036-be68-485f-952f-0011afa6370a.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Foliar delivery via selective laser ablation of the leaf cuticle coupled with a reservoir patch","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Epicuticular wax, Foliar uptake, Laser, Precision agriculture, Wax cuticle ablation, Zinc","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7952633/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7952633/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Foliar application offers a direct and efficient pathway for delivering active compounds to plants. 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