Yes, because we have combined the powerful scent-detecting ability of canines with advances in biotechnology, satellite and drone imaging, GPS mapping, and data analysis. BDK9 is the first and only provider of this state-of-the-art service.

Dogs are also better at detecting disease because of common sampling issues with traditional PCR methods. In an infected tree, the disease might initially be confined to a small branch. So if one happens to sample the wrong part of the tree, the PCR test would determine the tree was healthy. In other cases, a specimen could easily get contaminated on the way to the lab. In contrast, dogs can “sample” an entire plant with a few sniffs. They either smell the pathogen or they don’t. In-progress studies show that BDK9 dogs are capable of detecting infected plants with 99% accuracy.

There are thousands of crops, and thousands of potential diseases that can affect each one. Our dogs can be trained to detect any disease, but in recent years they have learned to identify common pathogens such as:

• Citrus Canker
• Citrus Greening, or HLB
• Plum Pox Virus
• Squash Yellow Vein Virus
• Tomato Chlorotic Spot Virus
• Grapevine Red Blotch Virus
• Botrytis (Cannabis bud rot)

People have recognized dogs’ extraordinary sense of smell for centuries, but their talents have only recently been utilized in this way. At BDK9, we’ve been perfecting our proprietary method for training dogs to detect viruses and other pathogens (bacteria, fungi) for over ten years. We received our first grant from the USDA to detect Citrus Canker in 2011. Since then, we have partnered with the USDA and other private and commercial entities to detect many agricultural diseases.

Each disease requires different techniques, depending on the biology of the pathogen and the host. The exact methods are proprietary, but the basic principles are the same: Find a target scent that represents the disease, use self-learning to teach the canines to find it, and validate the canines just like you would for any diagnostic test.

Using satellite and drone imagery that are sensitive to subtle differences in foliage shades, we determine possible locations of disease. Then, guided by a GPS signal on a hand-held device, an experienced handler takes the BDK9 dog to the general area that needs further inspection. The dog is trained to follow the concentration of pathogens to the source. This telltale scent pools around the base of the plant, as well as diffusing up through the soil.

Since we opened for business in 2011, our dogs have examined a range of vegetable and fruit-bearing plants, including watermelon, tomatoes, cassava and citrus crops. They have also been deployed to support our growing roster of vineyard cultivators and cannabis clients around the world. Several clients book our services as a precautionary measure to detect pathogens in fallow fields and early in the planting season to prevent invasive diseases before they can take hold of an entire crop.