Recognizing powdery mildew by sight and smell

Added on 21 April 2023

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Recognizing powdery mildew by sight and smell

Powdery mildew can cause significant damage in multiple crops, so the earlier the fungus can be detected, the better. The Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs Business Unit of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is developing a method to detect powdery mildew using image recognition. In addition, WUR is investigating whether the disease can be detected earlier with the help of olfactory sensors, which measure odor.

Powdery mildew mainly occurs at the bottom of the crop in the cultivation of crops like roses. As a result, the fungus is difficult to see. Research by WUR shows that a simple RGB camera and an image recognition model make it possible to recognize the white fluff of the fungus. However, image recognition must be further developed so that the difference between live and dead mildew can be recognized. For application, the camera could be attached to a harvest cart, which drives through the crop regularly.

In addition, WUR is investigating whether powdery mildew can be recognized by olfactory sensors. When a crop is attacked, it emits an odor (volatile substance) that is specific to a disease or pest. If we can identify these odors, we can use them for recognition in the greenhouse. WUR is examining which volatile substances are released in a tomato crop after infection with powdery mildew. In the future, this could mean that cultivation personnel could check the crop with a hand sensor. The advantage of using odor is that powdery mildew can be detected relatively quickly after the first infection: currently this is already possible after six days (with image recognition detection possible after 10 days).