Development of a Programmable Whole-Organism Wasp Sensor for Monitoring Crop Conditions from Volatile Chemicals

Volatile chemicals are released from plants and organisms affecting plants. Some of these volatiles, released by plants, alert beneficial insects to the presence of lepidopterous larvae, feeding on the plant. Some chemicals are directly synthesized by an organism and can be used to identify that organism. Subsequently, if the volatile signature for a particular plant condition, or organism, such as a plant pathogen can be identified, these volatiles can be used to determine plant health using a sensor to detect them. A programmable whole-organism wasp sensor was developed and tested for detecting white mold (soil-borne fungal pathogen) on peanuts. Wasps were conditioned to the odor identified from white mold and then used in a sensing device developed to record the wasps response when they recognized the conditioned odor. Wasp response to the white mold odor on peanuts was 80%. Wasp response to plain peanuts was 0%.