In a greenhouse, cucumbers are growing beautifully. A grower is cultivating them under the most favourable conditions, closely monitoring the precise amount of water they need and whether the temperature is optimal, to ensure that the cucumbers that end up on your plate are juicy, flavoursome and green. The grower’s job is by no means carefree, however. What if the crop is blighted by some disease?

One of the strategies that researchers are working on to prevent this involves an “electronic nose” or e-nose. All plants, cucumbers included, emit a scent. An electronic nose can immediately detect whether something is wrong. As soon as a disease breaks out, the e-nose will detect it and give a warning. Tackling the disease or pest can better be done sooner than later, as it can reduce the use of pest control chemicals and deforestation. 

The TU Delft project will investigate, develop and test smart e-nose chips. The goal for these e-noses is that they can detect multiple pests, like aphids and mealybugs. Contrary to current e-noses, they must be small, cheap and have a low energy consuption. In order for them to be placed on robots, drones, in fine grids or in a disposable application. 

The chips will be equipped with several sensing inks working all at the same time. These inks can change their properties when they interact with their specific compound. This can be an organic compound emitted by a bug or a compound the plant will emit when infected. The e-nose measures the difference in the ink and will then send a message to the farmer. To test the noses, partners will test them on commercially relevant use cases with high business potential and social impact, for example to stop deforestation due to replacing infected plantations.