But for the humble tomato plant, it's all about being doused to repel the unwanted attention it has to suffer.

Researchers at Lancaster University were shocked when an unusual idea one of them had turned out to make crops pest-repellent.

Dr Nigel Paul, who led the research, said: "Sometimes we do go off on a weird idea.

"We were investigating the mechanisms by which wild plants defend themselves against pest attack to get a better understanding of what works in nature.

"We were spraying the leaves of our plants with Jasmonic acid (JA) when a colleague Dr Jason Moore asked 'what would happen if we treated the seeds instead?'"

Rather than being used to help plants fight off the likes of mites, caterpillars and aphids, JA is a common component usually found in perfume.

The researchers decided to soak the seeds in it as plants sprayed with JA tend to grow less well.

Dr Paul added: "It almost immunises the plant like we might be immunised against the flu. It allows it to implement its own defence against pest attacks.

"It seemed unlikely that it would work but we were amazed to discover that it did – tomato plants were protected for about two months after they germinated."

Around 10% to 20% of the worldwide yield of crops is lost due to pests.

Also, the discovery means that large amounts of pesticides or GM technologies would not be needed.

Tests reveal that attacks by red spider mites on tomato plants were reduced by 80%, aphid attacks were reduced by 60% and caterpillar damage was down by a third.

By the end of the year, the university should know whether or not a commercial product will go into development.

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