New Mechanical Plant Nose Will Help Farmers Monitor Their Crops
- 10 years ago
New technology is being researched that could allow farmers to take better care of their crops, merely by analyzing the chemical odors that plants emit.
New technology is being researched that could allow farmers to take better care of their crops, merely by analyzing the chemical odors that plants emit.
When a certain threat is attacking a plant, it releases a specific chemical, which can then be studied to figure out what the plant needs, or what is happening to it.
A team of researchers including Jack Schultz, a chemical ecologist and professor from the University of Missouri, working with professor Xudong Fan, a biological engineer from the University of Michigan, has come up with a mechanical nose they hope will allow farmers to analyze their plants needs based on the chemical odors being released.
Schultz is quoted as saying: “The more we think about how plants have their own devices to protect themselves, the more you’d be able to use that to hopefully replace some artificial pesticide use.”
So far, the mechanical nose has only been tested in sealed containers. Next up is to test it indoors amongst healthy and ill specimens, before the technology is taken outside to agricultural fields.
Human noses usually aren’t powerful enough to detect the subtle smells that are released by plants, but some California vineyards use dogs to sniff out mealy worms that can threaten the grapes.
New technology is being researched that could allow farmers to take better care of their crops, merely by analyzing the chemical odors that plants emit.
When a certain threat is attacking a plant, it releases a specific chemical, which can then be studied to figure out what the plant needs, or what is happening to it.
A team of researchers including Jack Schultz, a chemical ecologist and professor from the University of Missouri, working with professor Xudong Fan, a biological engineer from the University of Michigan, has come up with a mechanical nose they hope will allow farmers to analyze their plants needs based on the chemical odors being released.
Schultz is quoted as saying: “The more we think about how plants have their own devices to protect themselves, the more you’d be able to use that to hopefully replace some artificial pesticide use.”
So far, the mechanical nose has only been tested in sealed containers. Next up is to test it indoors amongst healthy and ill specimens, before the technology is taken outside to agricultural fields.
Human noses usually aren’t powerful enough to detect the subtle smells that are released by plants, but some California vineyards use dogs to sniff out mealy worms that can threaten the grapes.