THE keen nose of man's best friend will become the new insurance against the dreaded tree disease, citrus canker.
A Northern Territory (NT) project is training dogs to detect citrus canker using synthetic compounds that mimic the scent of plants infected with the disease.
The Australian Government provided $265,000 to the project through its Immediate Assistance Fund which assists state and territory governments and industry to rapidly respond to, or prepare for, significant exotic pest and disease incursions.
Citrus canker was successfully eradicated from Australia in 2020 following its detection in NT and Western Australia in 2017.
RELATED READING
Federal agriculture minister David Littleproud said the disease had the potential to devastate Australia's healthy citrus industry
"The detector dog trial has been a great success, with one dog demonstrating a 96 per cent detection accuracy rate, and another a 94pc detection accuracy rate," Mr Littleproud said.
"In this case it has also shown dogs can be trained on multiple odours, including Siam weed - one of the world's worst weeds, with a phenomenal growth rate.
"Northern Australia poses a high-risk pathway for exotic pests and diseases like citrus canker that threaten our agriculture productivity, exports, and the environment.
"The successful trial is great news as it will allow for the rapid deployment of dogs to enable early detection of pests and diseases."
Sign up here to Good Fruit and Vegetables weekly newsletter for all the latest horticulture news each Thursday...
