The EU project PurPest, running from January 2023 to December 2026 with a budget of €6.472 million, aims to develop a new sensor platform to rapidly detect and stop five different pests during import and in the field to reduce pesticide use by at least 50%. The sensor concept is based on detection of pest-specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by host plants invaded by one or several pests. PurPest will determine the VOC signature of plants attacked by Phytophthora ramorum, Spodoptera frugiperda, Helicoverpa armigera, Halyomorpha halys and Bursaphelenchus xylophilus under different abiotic stress conditions. Coordinated by the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), this project is an international collaboration among 18 institutions from 11 European countries.
For more detailed information, please visit the PurPest project website
