Gardeners warned of ´smelly tomatoes´

If your tomatoes are giving off a strange and distinctive odour, they may be under attack from botrytis fungus, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has warned.

Scientists in the Netherlands and Germany have found that tomato plants emit higher levels of hormone when afflicted with the fungus. This occurs before the problem is visible on the leaves of the plant, so can help gardeners detect and treat it early to limit damage.

Botrytis is common in greenhouses where atmospheric conditions are humid and allow it to spread. It inflicts plants with a grey mould and can ruin a whole crop of tomatoes.

Scientists hope their research will mean that growers will have to rely less on pesticides and time-consuming inspections.

Roel Jansen, who led the research project said: "If you can identify a plague in a greenhouse on time there will be even less need for pesticides."

Recently, the RHS´ gardens in Wisley were named Attraction of the Year at the South East Tourism Awards.