Development of a biosensor for sclerotinia stem rot disease forecasting in canola

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This project is still in progress, but aims to develop an in-field real-time sensor to monitor plant disease pathogens, specifically the sclerotinia stem rot pathogens.

Project Summary

Overview

The goal of this project is to develop an in-field real-time sensor to monitor plant disease pathogens, specifically the sclerotinia stem rot pathogens. The sensor would notify the farmer, via cell phone, when a disease outbreak is imminent. Li and the research team have already developed a biosensor that could work, but more research is needed.

Project lead Dr. Susie Li discusses ‘Development and field deployment of a biosensor for sclerotinia stem rot forecasting’ in this CAP Wrap Up presentation on December 9, 2022.

Objectives of this study are to:

(1) transition the spore detection technology/device from a large instrument to a portable chip that can be easily applied in the field.

(2) establish the correlation between disease severity (per cent petal infection) and inoculum level (number of spores in the air) under controlled and field environments.

(3) verify the technology in the field.