When plants “speak”, science listens
“When plants are attacked by pests — whether fungi or insects — they emit new volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in response to the aggression,” explains Stéphane Le Calvé, research coordinator of the senseApest project, in an interview with CNRS Chimie.
By detecting these VOCs, researchers can 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 — offering a faster, non-invasive way to protect ecosystems and crops.“By connecting several sensors in series, we can analyse in detail the molecular responses emitted by plants and pests.We’re also building a 𝗩𝗢𝗖 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲 that will feed an algorithm to continuously improve diagnostic accuracy.”
🧠 This innovation is at the heart of senseApest, a hashtag#HorizonEurope project that develops smart detection tools to prevent the spread of invasive species before they cause damage.
📖 Read the full interview with Stéphane Le Calvé in CNRS Chimie to learn more about how European research is transforming pest detection:
