E-nose job

Environmental scientists at Lancaster University have discovered that ‘electronic noses’ can be used as a tool to diagnose diseased or damaged plants.

Electric noses, or e-noses, mimic the human sense of smell using sensors that respond to airborne chemicals by producing an electronic signal. E-noses have already been shown to be able to sniff out human diseases such as TB, off-flavours in food and even mouldy books in libraries.

Researchers at Lancaster have now shown that an electronic nose can tell when crop plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers or capsicum pepper plants are being attacked - and even diagnose between different types of damage.

Their findings show that an e-nose can tell the difference between a plant that is being chewed by caterpillars and one that is infested by spider mites. It can also distinguish between a crop being attacked by pests as opposed to infected by a disease.

The system could become an early-warning system in glasshouses, alerting farmers and growers to the first signs of pests and diseases, allowing control measures to be taken long before crop yields are affected.