Air Monitor - Protected Crops - Tomatoes

英国的番茄种植者需要在其生长早期检测灰葡萄孢/灰霉病，以避免经济损失。葡萄孢菌影响整个行业的生产力和盈利能力，全年有1- 10%的植物感染，年底达到30%。该项目的目的是研究设计一个收集和检测系统的可行性，该系统基于一种仪器，该仪器对工厂附近的大气进行采样和分析，以获得挥发性有机化合物（VOC）的混合物，其成分已被证明是工厂生物化学的指标。生物化学的任何变化，以及挥发性有机化合物的混合，将为种植者提供一个早期预警系统，使他们能够及早发现特定的疾病并减少其影响，使用更少的化学干预措施，更经常地依赖生物保护产品，更好地控制能源成本，提高英国番茄产业的盈利能力，环境状况和消费者信心。这方面的成功将为其他受保护作物（如黄瓜、辣椒和辣椒）打开英国/国际市场，以早期发现其他重要的温室疾病（如白粉病）和其他地区的疾病。

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.