In an Australian first, grain growers now have access to accurate, localised data to improve disease management through a project harnessing technology to track airborne disease spore movement.
A three-year, $3.6 million project aims to provide growers and advisers with earlier awareness on the presence of blackleg, botrytis, leaf blights and spots (alternaria species), cereal powdery mildew and general rust in their crops.
The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investment is led by BioScout, with support from several research and commercial partners across Australia.
GRDC manager of agriculture technology Peter Thompson said presently growers were reactive to fungal diseases, with detection possible only once disease was visible in crops.
“Growers are already on the back-foot once visual symptoms can be scouted by eye,” he said.
“During early infection, spores are microscopic, and plants are asymptomatic, making disease difficult to detect. But at the same time, early infection is the optimal stage to apply fungicides.
“This project is providing more accurate and localised disease risk information for growers, so they can make more informed decisions on when and where to apply foliar fungicides, helping maximise profit from fungicide use and delay the onset of resistance.”
As part of the project, 60 BioScout SporeScout units have been deployed across South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.
BioScout chief executive officer Lewis Collins said that over the 2024 season the network sampled nearly 1 billion litres of air, tracking and reporting on around 1.6 million unseen disease-causing spores in near real-time.
The sampling revealed a staggering 1.2 million spores of general alternaria.
“In another Australian first, we can now monitor and display ‘pathogen movement’ around the country in near real-time, providing an early warning detection system for many growers,” Mr Collins said.
“For example, in the last month, waves of general alternaria were seen travelling north to south along the network’s east, then back up again.
“The BioScout powered network is providing a level of unprecedented detail for growers that has not been available before.”
The BioScout network is free to grain growers for the next 12 months, and BioScout encourages feedback during this period for further development.
Growers and agronomists can access the network via bioscout.com.au/grdc
