Researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands are hoping to detect viruses faster using a technique called raman spectroscopy.
A plant virus consists of proteins and a piece of genetic material (DNA or RNA molecule) and cannot be seen with the naked eye, while it can also take weeks for symptoms to appear after infection. The Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture of Wageningen University & Research is investigating whether the presence of a virus in a crop can be detected earlier with raman spectroscopy.
“If this detection technique works, viruses can be detected much faster by growers,” comments researcher Corien Voorburg. She is looking to see if the changes in the metabolic activity of the cells caused by the virus can be detected by using a laser. The changed cells on the surface of the leaf ensure a different scattering of the light rays. By detecting these changes (with the help of artificial intelligence), a virus infection can be discovered.
WUR conducted experiments with tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in chrysanthemum. “Growers or breeders still have to send a sample to a lab for testing if they suspect a virus infection. The result can often take days,” explains Corien.
She hopes that the new technology could eventually be used in a small handheld device, so a grower in a greenhouse can scan the crop and immediately receive an indication of whether the crop may be infected with a virus.
“The conditions in a greenhouse are very different than in the laboratory where we now conduct the research,” she adds. “In a greenhouse, a crop is exposed to other variables, such as temperature, insects, and other varieties, which also influence the leaf content. So, detecting a virus can be more complex. But it would be valuable if this technology could ultimately be used in the greenhouse, so virus infections can be noticed earlier, and damage and further infections are therefore prevented.”
