LAMP assay development and qPCR validation of inoculum monitoring of diseases in field crops

According to the literature, up to 75% of all fungicide applications are either off-target or are applied where no disease is present. Paramoria Agri-Science aims to reduce that by providing farmers with real-time monitoring of disease-causing spore populations, such that pesticides are applied on an as-needed basis, rather than as-feared. Currently, Paramoria uses quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to quantify the amount of disease present in the field. While highly accurate, qPCR requires a lab and cannot handle soil contamination without expensive post-processing. By switching to loop assisted mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), this test can be done in-field with minimum post-processing required. The intern will assist us in designing, testing and validating our switch from qPCR to LAMP.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dmytro Yevtushenko

Student:

Partner:

Paramoria Agri-Science

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Lethbridge

Program: