Dogs trained to sniff out phylloxera vine disease

Posted March 31, 2015 12:09:38

A university researcher is training sniffer dogs to detect pest and disease in vineyards.

Dogs have traditionally been trained to sniff out drugs, explosives and even missing people, but their new target could be phylloxera - a devastating disease that feeds on the roots of vines and can eventually kill an entire vineyard.

Melbourne University viticulture and animal science researcher Sonja Needs said she could train any breed to be a sniffer dog.

"In fact the best dogs we can use are the ones that are slightly out of control, that people think this dog is useless," she said.

'That's the dog that we want.

"Those hyperactive, mad case dogs that you think you can't train, they're quite often the best dogs for this sort of work. They desperately need a job."

She said it was a matter of taking dogs that were already trained in other services like explosives detection, and 'flicking their switch'.

"Once they are trained in detection, it's a very simple thing to give them another scent and they just work," Ms Needs said.

"And they love it, it's a fun activity for them and we love doing it because it's fun for us too."

Audio: University of Melbourne researcher Sonja Needs (ABC News)

Ms Needs said she was particularly interested in what stage the dogs could detect the life cycle of phylloxera.

"I want to see at what depth, because phylloxera is on the roots inside the soil, so I want to see what depth if the dogs can pick them up at a metre below the surface," she said.

"And if they can it's going to be an amazingly powerful tool we can use as a detection tool."

She hopes dogs could be eventually used to patrol the edges of phylloxera free zones and run over wine grape equipment before it is moved, making sure that the pest is not spread.

South Australia is currently phylloxera free, and would like to keep it that way, as is a small area of the Yarra Valley.

Ms Needs said she was working with the Victorian Government on the research and hoped to have undertaken the training by the end of 2015.

Topics: viticulture, pest-management, mildura-3500, melbourne-3000