Grainswest - Winter 2024

Winter 2024 grainswest.com 45 BY CHRISTINA KAYE • PHOTO COURTESY OF OLDS COLLEGE Smart FarmNetwork aids development of airborne disease detector Blowin’ inthewind FROM LAB TO FIELD EACH YEAR, CROP DISEASES diminish yields in Western Canada and around the globe. To address such peren- nial threats, Australian company BioScout created its signature product, an agricul- tural disease detection, spore identifica- tion and quantification system. Its purpose is to help farmers manage crop disease by identifying spores prior to the appearance of symptoms on the plants. BioScout has launched active pilot projects around the world to test the unit’s ability to detect diseases in crops such as fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, legumes and cereals. In Canada, BioScout targets sclerotinia stem rot in canola. More effective detec- tion of airborne sclerotinia spores will allow farmers to make earlier and better informed fungicide application decisions. Going into the second year of a two-year project, researchers at the Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) are now testing the device in canola fields at the institution’s Smart Farm. This ongoing project is an initiative of the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network. Olds College of Agriculture & Technology, Lakeland College and Discovery Farm Langham are testing the equipment and providing data to further develop the device for Canadian diseases and weather conditions. These Smart Farm Network members and BioScout will also work with the Global Agri-food Advancement Partnership and several farmers to assist the company to navigate the Canadian agriculture market. In the field, the unit employs a sen- sor-regulated fan to draw air through itself. As the air moves through a narrow nozzle, fungal spores are sucked in and stick to a special transparent tape. With the help of its weathervane, the device faces into the wind to collect spores most effectively. The unit’s imaging system uses an automated microscope to take hundreds of high-resolution images of the tape with its collected particles. These images are trans- mitted to a team of BioScout pathologists who identify the spores. In 2023, OCCI researchers completed weekly scouting activities to independent- ly observe disease presence. Plant-tissue samples were taken to determine wheth- er spores were present within the two Smart Farm fields that contain BioScout units. BioScout delivers spore load data to farmers on a web-based platform. Scouting records as well as recommendations to improve the platform were compiled to conclude the first year of the project. The full BioScout dashboard displays a map of a farmer’s property, the location of the devices, all current pathogen warnings and weather information. The second year of the study will evaluate the effectiveness of the BioScout device within various crop types in fields across the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network. The project will allow BioScout to ex- pand its dataset for Canadian crop diseases and weather conditions. The company’s goal is to employ artificial intelligence to enable the unit to automatically detect disease in near real time. This applied research project exempli- fies how Olds College supports the devel- opment and testing of innovative agricul- tural products by working with companies across the world. Visit oldscollege.ca/smart- farm for updates on the BioScout project, the activities of the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network and the full range of Olds College research activities. Christina Kaye is project lead for Smart Agriculture Applied Research at Olds College Centre for Innovation and project lead for the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network. Matilda Schmohl (left), research technician, and Christina Kaye, tend to a BioScout unit on the Olds College Smart Farm. The device captures and photographs disease spores.