Advancing Wearable VOC Sensors: A Roadmap for Sustainable Agriculture and Real-Time Plant Health Monitoring

Plant diseases account for nearly one-third of annual global crop losses, making early and real-time detection essential for safeguarding agricultural productivity. Wearable technology has emerged as a promising real-time plant health monitoring approach that detects specific physiological and chemical changes associated with plant diseases or stresses. In this review, we highlight the role of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as noninvasive biomarkers for tracking plant health and diagnosing diseases. We explore the materials, fabrication techniques, and recent applications of wearable VOC sensors for the real-time monitoring of plant diseases and stresses. Finally, we discuss the current challenges in wearable VOC sensor development and future directions to improve their design, fabrication, and practical implementation. This mini-review aims to guide the advancement of wearable sensing technologies for sustainable agriculture and enhanced crop protection.