Air Monitor - Protected Crops - Tomatoes

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Tomato growers in the UK need to detect Botrytis cinerea/grey mould early in it's development to avoid economic loss. Botrytis impacts both productivity and profitability of the industry year long, with backgrounds of 1- 10% of plants infected throughout the year, reaching 30% at the year end. The aim of this project is to investigate the feasibility of engineering a collection & detection system based on an instrument that samples and analyses the atmosphere close to the plant for a mix of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) whose composition has been well proven to be an indicator of the biochemistry of the plant. Any change in the biochemistry, and hence the mix of VOCs, will provide an early warning system to the growers, enabling them to catch the specified diseases early and reduce their impact, use fewer chemical interventions, rely more often on biological protection products, have better control of energy costs and improve the UK tomato industry's profitability, environmental status and consumer confidence. Success here will open up UK/international markets in other protected crops (e.g. cucumbers, peppers and ornamentals), for the early detection of other important glasshouse diseases (e.g. powdery mildew) and the detection of disease in other areas.