The innovative new system demonstrates success in distracting the harmful spores before they have begun to grow and disrupt a wheat crop.
New man-made materials developed by scientists have been successfully used to confuse and trick harmful spores which attack wheat crops into growing on an alternative host to help farmers protect their food production.
Researchers at The University of Manchester have come together with international electronics partners and the minerals processing industry, to deliver networks of cheap disposable in-field biosensors, to detect in real-time the infections of crops at the earliest signs.
By working with the industry partners, these crop surveillance sensors use the latest generation of ‘Internet of Things’ electronics and machine-learning techniques. Previous DNA based approaches only showed the presence of specific spores, many of which are around us all the time, the new sensor can identify the exact conditions for when spores turn from benign particulates to serious diseases.
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