Bio Imaging and Diagnosing Pre-Symptom Plant/Crop Disease

GrowTech, Inc. is the leader in new ground-based, GrowScanner™ Bio Imaging systems that inspect and diagnose plant health for agriculture, horticulture and eco-system applications.  GrowScanner™ Bio Imaging systems non-invasively image the plant’s photosynthetic and bio-chemical pathways to quantify and diagnose, in real-time, unseen nutrient, pathogen or environmental plant stress conditions one to three weeks before the damage symptoms are visible to the expert enabling the End-User to manage fast-response, curative field solutions.

Disease Management Systems

GrowScanner™ Bio Imaging has application for the disease management and control of pathogens, especially for difficult systemic diseases that severely affect yield or kill the plant.  GrowTech is seeking research grants and collaborations for the following applications.

Citrus Canker

Citrus Canker, Xanthomonas axonomodis pv. citri, is a bacterial disease that is spread by wind and rain and presently a threat to the citrus industry, especially in Florida.  The disease reduces yield and causes early fruit drop.  The disease has had major socio- economic impact.  Until recently, USDA focused on eradication of citrus trees within a1900 ft circle of a visible disease tree.  The regulatory ruling failed to prevent the disease spread and destroyed millions of non-diseased trees, commercial and private. Early pre-symptom detection can provide new Field Management and more effective chemical control

Citrus Greening Disease

Citrus Greening or HLB (Huanglongbing) is a bacterial disease vectored by the psyllid insect.  The systemic disease has no known cure.  Pre-symptom detection will enable new Field Management and a targeted tree destruction to prevent the disease spread.

Soybean Rust

Asian Soybean Rust, a wind-borne fungal disease, is now affecting the US southern soybean-growing states.  The disease was spread by recent hurricane activity in the southeast.  Very early detection is required for the control application of registered fungicides.  Using grant funding available from soybean growers, a testing is planned with university collaborators.

Sudden Oak Death

Sudden Oak Death is an emerging fungal disease that is infecting oak trees and nursery ornamentals (60 var.) in California and Oregon.  Phytophthora ramorum, the cause of SOD, is a serious threat to the industry and the US forest ecosystem.  With usual grower-retailer distribution of ornamental plants, the disease is a threat to spread to additional nurseries and to eastern oak forests.