As a member of the international consortium lead by NIBIO in Norway, Agroscope participates in the project PurPest. The goal of PurPest is to develop, validate and demonstrate an innovative sensor platform that can rapidly detect five quarantine, priority and other serious pests during import and in the field to stop their establishment and reduce pesticide inputs by at least 50%. The pests are the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda, the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera, the brown marmorated stinkbug Halyomorpha halys and the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. The sensor concept is based on detection of pest-specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by host plants invaded by one or several pests. In their respective workpackage, Agroscope specifically assesses the ecological and economic impacts of the five pests.