PFI-TT: Sending Stress-Induced Chemical Fingerprints Emitted by Plants Using a Network of Electronic Noses

Omer Oralkan
Ralph A. Dean

Project runs from 06/15/2021 to 05/31/2023
$250,000

It is well known that during times of stress, possibly due to herbivory or pathogen infection, plants emit a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOC). These VOCs serve to activate the plant defenses, attract beneficial insects, and warn adjacent plants of an impending attack. There are no sensors available today that can detect the volatomic ‘fingerprint’ in the field or storage conditions with sufficient sensitivity and selectivity to help with early diagnosis of plant disease. The innovation proposed in this project is 1) identify the volatomic fingerprints of specific plant diseases for model crops through lab analysis of collected samples from plants in simulated field conditions; 2) develop the low-power, field-deployable, connected electronic nose (e-nose) systems with high sensitivity and selectivity, optimized to detect the volatomic fingerprints identified through lab analysis.