Tomato Tech: Using Software to Save Dying Plants
By Michelle Fabio
Have you ever had a tomato plant whose condition worsened so quickly there was no way to save it?
Well if University of British Columbia PhD student Saber Miresmailli has his way, that won’t happen again.
His new project is to create a monitoring device with a sensor system that would enable you to hear your tomatoes’ cries for help before pest damage sets in.
According to Miresmailli, some plants send off signals when they feel threatened by herbivores, i.e., many of the common pests that can affect tomatoes.
For the next year, using advanced military technology, he will study chemical compounds of healthy as well as diseased plants in the hopes of pinpointing the signals emitted; with these signals recorded, the sensory system can detect any deviations.
Miresmailli is also looking at developing a companion cognitive software system that would allow a more holistic approach to preventative pest control, also taking into consideration sunlight, temperature, wind, humidity, season, and location.
For small-time gardeners, Miresmailli hopes to offer a hand-held system, but for greenhouses he envisions something wagon-mounted that can easily maneuver around the rows of plants.
And, most importantly, stop the pests before they start.
September 20th, 2007 at 1:36 am
Dear Sir/Madam,
thank you for your interest in my research. I just wanted to ask you to correct my first name. It is SABER not SAMER
Regards
Saber
September 21st, 2007 at 7:58 am
So, so sorry Saber! Thanks for coming over to correct that, and best of luck in your research–it sounds simply fascinating!