20210225-ARS-LSC-1534
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory Plant Pathologist Scott Atkins inspects the distinctive yellow veins and nearly transparent squash plant leaf infected with the Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV), the cause of viral watermelon vine decline; here, scientists from Fort Pierce, FL, laboratory are working with F1K9, a licensed canine detection service company who are training dogs to detect huanglongbing (HLB; a.k.a. citrus greening) in citrus, squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV; cause of viral watermelon vine decline) in squash, and tomato chlorotic spot virus (TCSV) in pepper at this training session in New Smyrna Beach, FL, on Feb. 25, 2021.
Dogs can be trained to detect specific bacterial or viral pathogens in any part of a plant with greater than 99% accuracy, significantly faster than laboratory tests, and before visible symptoms are obvious. Conventional analysis typically uses only one leaf from a plant. At the early stages of infection, before the disease spreads throughout the plant, a healthy leaf may be taken from an infected plant resulting in a negative laboratory test. In contrast, dogs sample the entire plant while walking by and sniffing it. For more information, please go to ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2020/trained-dogs-are-the-most-efficient-way-to-hunt-citrus-industrys-biggest-threat/. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
20210225-ARS-LSC-1534
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory Plant Pathologist Scott Atkins inspects the distinctive yellow veins and nearly transparent squash plant leaf infected with the Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV), the cause of viral watermelon vine decline; here, scientists from Fort Pierce, FL, laboratory are working with F1K9, a licensed canine detection service company who are training dogs to detect huanglongbing (HLB; a.k.a. citrus greening) in citrus, squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV; cause of viral watermelon vine decline) in squash, and tomato chlorotic spot virus (TCSV) in pepper at this training session in New Smyrna Beach, FL, on Feb. 25, 2021.
Dogs can be trained to detect specific bacterial or viral pathogens in any part of a plant with greater than 99% accuracy, significantly faster than laboratory tests, and before visible symptoms are obvious. Conventional analysis typically uses only one leaf from a plant. At the early stages of infection, before the disease spreads throughout the plant, a healthy leaf may be taken from an infected plant resulting in a negative laboratory test. In contrast, dogs sample the entire plant while walking by and sniffing it. For more information, please go to ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2020/trained-dogs-are-the-most-efficient-way-to-hunt-citrus-industrys-biggest-threat/. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.