Device sniffs out the "smell-fingerprints" of pestered plants
January 19, 2022
A team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists has developed an electronic nose to sniff out whitefly infestations of tomato plants. It detects specific chemicals, called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the plants release into the air when attacked by the whiteflies. Scientists hope the E-nose will also help growers fine-tune their use of whitefly-killing insecticides, biocontrol agents like parasitic wasps or other measures.