Sentinel 6 commenced sampling at Sugar Research Australia’s (SRA) Meringa site in Far North Queensland (FNQ) on the 25th October, 2021.

SRA undertakes significant research & activities related to biosecurity. The SRA team are focusing on modernising the diagnostics for the sugarcane industry’s highest priority pests & pathogens.
The team has dpeloyed an iMapPESTS sentinel surveillance unit at SRA Meringa to monitor for analogs of the industry’s high-priority pests & pathogen targets.

The sentinel will be at Meringa until February, taking weekly traps of insects and fungal spores for analysis. This is the second sentinel deployment in the wet tropics, the first for this compact unit.

During this deployment, we will be monitoring the sugarcane planthopper and a handful of cross-industry pathogens. In addition to these targets, Agriculture Victoria Research will be applying their novel diagnostic technology to insect trap samples generated by the sentinel to deliver information on the biodiversity of trap catches. This information will be shared though this webpage & targeted engagement across the region.