The Earlham Institute has been sampling the air near farmers’ fields for several years but is now also sampling coastal, forest, and city locations.
Eight samplers have been placed across Norfolk including Brancaster, Norwich city center, Thetford Forest, and Carlton and Oulton marshes.
There are many more now in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Oxfordshire.
The team switches on the devices at the same time for one hour and will repeat the experiment every three months to get an idea of seasonal changes.
The full results will be analyzed in Spring 2025.
Post-doctoral scientist Darren Heavens says: “Food will be cheaper.
“If we inform the farmer that there’s a pathogen in the air, he can take a more targeted approach when it comes to spraying [chemicals].
“If he only has to spray one, he’ll save money. If the pathogen’s not there at all, he won’t have to spray at all, again saving money.
“If he can save money, that can be passed on and the customer will get a cheaper product.”
But the research has only just begun, so it will be a while before any difference may be noticed at the checkouts.