Researchers at Aston University and Harper Adams University are developing a photonic ‘nose’ to monitor crops for pest infestations and plant disease. The project will also develop technologies which use light to monitor crop health.
The project is looking to control potato aphid on strawberry plants, with those behind the study warning that the UK’s £350 million strawberry crop could be wiped out by the pest. The new project uses recent developments in photonics technology that can analyse low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by plants, which indicate their health. This is coupled with machine learning hardware which makes it practical to use artificial intelligence in commercial settings.
Professor David Webb of Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies (AIPT) said: “Better invertebrate pest and plant disease monitoring technologies will significantly help cut crop losses.
“However most electronic noses use electrochemical sensors, which suffer from sensitivity issues, sensor drift/aging effects and lack specificity. We intend to address this by building on the fast-moving technology of photonics – the science of light – whilst collaborating with scientists in other disciplines.”
Dr Joe Roberts from Harper Adams University added, “With the projected increase in the global population there is increasing pressure on the agricultural sector to achieve higher crop yields.
“Reducing crop losses within existing production systems will improve food security without increasing resource use. We intend to establish an interdisciplinary community of agricultural science, optical sensing and machine learning experts to develop novel plant health monitoring platforms that enhance agricultural production through localised pest and disease monitoring to detect hotspots.”
The 12-month project has received funding from BBSRC and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).