Every year, plant diseases destroy millions of tons of food. Can we detect them before it's too late? With a growing population and increasing food demand, agriculture faces a huge challenge: how to produce more without losing yields to disease. Bacterial and fungal pathogens pose serious threats to both crop quality and quantity, causing not only economic losses but also risks to food security.

The key to effective crop protection is early infection detection - before visible symptoms appear. Unfortunately, traditional diagnostic methods - such as molecular or serological techniques - are often expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to implement on a large scale.

These challenges are being addressed by the project "Application of volatilomics for early detection and monitoring of infections in crops and soil" led by Małgorzata Wesoły, PhD  from the Department of Medical Biotechnology at the Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology. The research focuses on using volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by plants and soil for rapid, non-invasive diagnosis of plant diseases and assessment of soil physiological condition.

Małgorzata Wesoły, PhD

From onions to electronic noses

"My interest in this field was significantly influenced by my internship at the University of Warwick, where I worked with Prof. James Covington and John Clarkson on applying volatilomics to detect onion diseases," says Małgorzata Wesoły, PhD. "After the internship, I decided to develop this topic at our Faculty and conducted preliminary research under the Welcome on board project (IDUB-PW). The current project (NCN SONATA 20) combines my two research interests: multisensor devices and diseases of agricultural products. For plant disease detection, I plan to use various analytical tools, including gas chromatographs coupled with different detectors and electronic noses."

How does it work?

VOCs create characteristic "fingerprints" that enable infection detection in early stages, often before visible disease symptoms appear.

The project will analyze VOC profiles emitted by vegetables - including carrots and onions - infected with common plant diseases. Simultaneously, VOC profiles released by soil will be examined to better understand changes caused by soil pathogens.

Field-applicable technologies like electronic noses or ion mobility spectrometry will enable real-time research and rapid response to threats, such as managing infected crops (through disposal or sale as animal feed) or limiting disease spread by improving ventilation or changing storage conditions.

Research on VOC profiles emitted by soil will provide new information about plant disease diagnostics, highlighting the importance of interactions between soil microbiome and plants during infection development.

Scientific impact and future of volatilomics

The research results will significantly impact both phytopathology and analytical chemistry. They will contribute to a more integrated understanding of plant health and deepen knowledge about soil microbiomes, volatilomes, stress responses, and sustainable disease management practices. By demonstrating the effectiveness of VOC analysis, the project will establish foundations for rapid and inexpensive plant disease diagnostics.

Microbiological research will also provide new knowledge about plant pathogens and their development in stored crops and soil. Comparing the effectiveness of different technologies will advance analytical chemistry by providing valuable information about VOC-based screening diagnostic methods.

"I believe this research will initiate innovations in VOC analysis, with applications extending beyond agriculture to include environmental monitoring and food safety," says Małgorzata Wesoły, PhD.

The research team includes Małgorzata Wesoły, PhD, Magdalena Borowska, PhD, and Małgorzata Milner-Krawczyk, PhD.

 * Volatilomics is the scientific discipline focused on analysing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by living organisms, including humans, plants, microorganisms, and cancer cells.