Smelling soil: eNose development

Farmers often use smell to assess soil because the volatile compounds produced by biological activity are affected by soil conditions. There is evidence in the scientific literature that eNoses (electronic smell sensors) can detect volatiles that are related to soil biological activity and that eNoses may be a suitable way of assessing biological function.

A previous Soil CRC project Smelling soil proved it was possible to build a low-cost electronic eNose for measuring soil gas emissions and detecting changes in soil conditions.

This project will continue the development of the eNose focusing on two areas. It will build a robust device suitable for field use and it will investigate the relationship between eNose data and significant changes in soil condition. The project will undertake a range of pre-commercialisation activities to ensure a product for commercialisation and adoption by Australian farmers.