A new AI-driven sensing platform that detects crop stress before symptoms appear is being hailed as a major breakthrough for the UK’s protected tomato sector, following the completion of the TomatoGuard project.
Funded by Innovate UK, the project brought together Altered Carbon, APS Produce, Fargro Limited and the UK Agri-Tech Centre to develop and trial a system for early pest and stress detection in commercial glasshouses.
Altered Carbon’s graphene-based VOC sensors were tested across laboratory, controlled-environment and commercial settings. Spider mite, one of the most damaging pests in UK tomato production, was a key target.
At the centre of the innovation is a “digital nose” platform combining graphene sensors, embedded electronics and machine learning, with data delivered to growers through a cloud interface. Trials showed the sensors could detect biochemical stress signals before visible symptoms, supporting earlier intervention and reduced chemical use.
The UK Agri-Tech Centre supplied growth-chamber and glasshouse data to train and validate the system. In commercial trials at APS Produce, TomatoGuard alerts matched grower observations of spider mite in 69% of cases, demonstrating strong potential for real-time monitoring. Operational findings highlighted the importance of connectivity, battery life, sensor placement and canopy airflow.
The partners say the technology is now close to commercial readiness, with benefits extending into stronger IPM strategies, lower input costs and support for net-zero objectives. The project has also generated new datasets, hardware, software and industry partnerships that position the platform for wider deployment.
Sam Onwugbenu, co-founder and AI lead at Altered Carbon, said the collaboration had taken the company “from prototype sensing to real-crop deployment”, describing the ability to convert plant chemistry into actionable alerts as “truly game-changing for UK horticulture”.
He said next steps include refined hardware, early-season trials and an expanded signature library, with the ambition to scale across the protected-ag sector.
Fargro independently assessed the commercial trial and concluded the sensors show clear potential for spider-mite detection, with wider trials recommended once battery and connectivity improvements are in place.
Lori-Leah Griffiths, technical and regulatory specialist at Fargro, said early detection is essential to sustainable pest management, and the trials had “demonstrated the potential for VOC sensors to detect spider mite in the glasshouse”.
APS Produce monitored performance through Altered Carbon’s Scent Studio platform. A spokesperson said: “Effective crop protection starts with early detection of pests and diseases,” noting that automated alerts could be vital for a transient workforce and help reduce chemical use and yield loss through earlier, more accurate treatments.
Andy Evans, innovation lead for crop health at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, said sensing plant signalling represents a step change in reducing unnecessary pesticide and nutrient inputs. He said the system “has the potential to make a real difference to tomato growers”.
With industry interest rising and trials confirming strong performance across environments, TomatoGuard offers a clear glimpse of how AI-enabled sensing could reshape crop protection across the UK’s protected cropping sector.
