Smartprotect EU project
Diagnostic tests to detect bacterial blight, phytophthora, Ralstonia bacteria and potato Y virus
AREFLH is a partner of SmartProtect project, SMART agriculture for innovative vegetable crop PROTECTion: harnessing advanced methodologies and technologies.
Some of the most serious diseases affecting crops of the Solanaceae family, such as tomatoes and peppers, are the bacterial fire blight caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, infection by bacteria of Ralstonia genus, such as Ralstonia solanacearum, several Phytophthora species such as Phytophthora infestans, as well as the Potato Virus Y (PVY).
For the early diagnosis of the aforementioned diseases, the company Pocket Diagnostic has developed Rapid Test Kits that provide results in less than ten minutes. Their cost is relatively low, and their significant advantage is that they are portable allowing use in the field or in the greenhouse. These Strip tests are simple to use and they offer a qualitative preliminary investigation and analysis of the plant material, in order to detect pathogens.
They are available in different packaging sizes, i.e., of 1, 4 or 50 pieces per pack, depending on the pathogen detected. They are considered to be a very useful tool in the hands of the producer, and can be used prior to laboratory analysis, as a simple measure to prevent or confirm the infection in cases of symptoms’ onset. They significantly contribute to the reduction of plant protection products’ inflow in the production chain, as the indication of contamination absence can lead to a reduction of plant protection applications.
Know more about SmartProtect
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 862563.
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