Biosecurity planning and surveillance is important for the on-going profitability and sustainability of the sugarcane industry. Existing biosecurity surveillance is based on trapping pests or in-field identification of diseases by specialist entomologists and pathologists.

All organisms shed their DNA into the environment and this environmental DNA (eDNA) can reveal their recent presence even when the pest is no longer present. In-field DNA-based identification can be done without the need for specialist entomologists and pathologists.

Using environmental DNA technology increases the chances of detection before an incursion becomes established. There are multiple recent examples of eDNA technology being successfully used to detect pests in a range of crops.

To ensure that the eDNA surveillance is as cost-effective as possible, sophisticated forecasting is used to identify the areas that are most at risk of pest incursions. The combination of forecasting and eDNA testing will improve the speed, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and accuracy of biosecurity surveillance.