DBCA’s Plant Diseases Program Leader Dr Kylie Ireland with dieback detector dogs Echo and Alice. Photos: supplied.
Dogs are being trained to detect the microscopic Phytophthora fugus which attacks and destroys plant roots, a condition known as dieback.
WA’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) has been allocated $1.3 million in Commonwealth for the recruitment and training of scent detection dogs.
A spokesperson said DBCA’s Ecosystem Health Branch was leading a tri-state project in which these dogs would be used to identify the dieback-causing plant disease Phytophthora, which threatens many native plants across the country.
“Project leads in Tasmania, New South Wales and Western Australia will work together to understand where and when the dogs will be of most use,” she said.
“Phytophthora dieback is one of the greatest plant disease threats to Australia’s natural environment and natural heritage.”
Parks and Wildlife Service plant diseases program leader Kylie Ireland described dieback as a “biological bulldozer” with about 40 per cent of plant life in WA’s south west was susceptible.
Now, plant scientists in WA have completed several weeks of testing which confirmed the ability of scent detection dogs to sniff out Phytophthora.
Two dogs – Echo, a three-year-old Brittany Spaniel, and Alice, a two-year-old English Springer Spaniel – were trained in NSW and brought over to WA in winter and spring 2024 to demonstrate their skills.
Professional dog handler Ryan Tate said Alice and Echo performed well in their Phytophthora dieback detection trials.
“To get the dogs to where they are now has taken two years,” he said.
“But the first process of seeing if they can discriminate between soil infected with Phytophthora and pure soil only took a couple of months for the dogs to understand that in a very clinical setting.
“The real challenge is getting out into the field, finding it in the field and working with a variety of different soil samples from all around the country.”
To date, detecting and confirming dieback has mainly involved identifying potential areas of risk by sight, and then collecting soil samples and testing them in a laboratory – which can take up to a fortnight.
The use of scent detection dogs could help to dramatically speed up this process and allow measures to be put in place more quickly to prevent dieback spread.
Dr Ireland said the aim was to have a WA-based detector dog team by the end of 2025, which would save money on bringing dogs over from NSW to WA.
“It’s an absolute game changer in terms of the tools we have to try and identify where Phytophthora is and manage it in the field,” she said.
“We’re excited about setting up our own program and we’ve already had a lot of interest from WA dog handlers.”
According to Dr Ireland, there was now much greater potential for new knowledge about dieback to be gained and disseminated.
“We’ve been managing dieback in WA since the 1970s and 1980s, so, you know, 50 plus years – and it’s hard to keep people engaged,” she said.
“The dogs are really helping us to start that engagement again.”
