Developing volatiles signatures as a highly sensitive real-time and on-site monitoring tool for the oak wilt disease

Funding period: 2024-2028
Lead: Philippe Tanguay
Total GRDI funding: $152,000

The objectives of the project are to: perform Lab-based analyses of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with early-onset and progressive wilt disease; perform on-site analytics of VOCs associated with oak wilt disease; assess the relationship between the pathogen biomass in infected tissues and the extend of oak wilt visual symptoms; and partition infected red oaks VOCs profiles based on the level of oak wilt infection.

Data generated from this project will allow improved detection by increasing the toolbox that will help to prevent the establishment and spread of the oak wilt disease in Canada. These tools will provide short-term benefits for stakeholders such as federal, provincial and municipal forest health managers to protect existing property and economic values, private arborists in their efforts to detect and eradicate oak wilt infected trees in the future.