Agriculture Technology and Adoption Centre (AgTAC) Projects Smart Technologies to improve biosecurity outcomes in horticulture
Smart Technologies to improve biosecurity outcomes in horticulture
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Marine Science
- Courses
- Future Students
- Current Students
- Research and Teaching
- Partners and Community
- About JCU
- Reputation and Experience
- Celebrating 50 Years
- Academy
- Anthropological Laboratory for Tropical Audiovisual Research (ALTAR)
- Anton Breinl Research Centre
- Agriculture Technology and Adoption Centre (AgTAC)
- Living on Campus
- How to apply
- Advanced Analytical Centre
- Alumni
- AMHHEC
- Aquaculture Solutions
- AusAsian Mental Health Research Group
- ARCSTA
- Area 61
- Association of Australian University Secretaries
- Lions Marine Research Trust
- Australian Tropical Herbarium
- Australian Quantum & Classical Transport Physics Group
- Boating and Diving
- JCU-CSIRO Partnership
- Employability Edge
- Clinical Psychedelic Research Lab
- Centre for Tropical Biosecurity
- Career Ready Plan
- Careers at JCU
- Careers and Employability
- Chancellery
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology
- CITBA
- CMT
- CASE
- College of Business, Law and Governance
- College of Healthcare Sciences
- College of Medicine and Dentistry
- College of Science and Engineering
- CPHMVS
- Centre for Disaster Solutions
- CSTFA
- Cyber Security Hub
- Cyclone Testing Station
- The Centre for Disaster Studies
- Daintree Rainforest Observatory
- Defence
- Discover Nature at JCU
- Research Division
- Services and Resources Division
- Education Division
- Elite Athletes
- eResearch
- Environmental Research Complex [ERC]
- Estate
- Fletcherview
- Foundation for Australian Literary Studies
- Gender Equity Action and Research
- General Practice and Rural Medicine
- JCU Orientation
- Give to JCU
- Governance
- Art of Academic Writing
- Art of Academic Editing
- Graduate Research School
- Graduation
- Indigenous Education and Research Centre
- Indigenous Engagement
- Indigenous Legal Needs Project
- Inherent Requirements
- IsoTropics Geochemistry Lab
- IT Services
- International Students
- Research and Innovation Services
- JCU Eduquarium
- JCU Heroes Programs
- JCU Webinars
- JCU Events
- JCU Global Experience
- JCU Ideas Lab
- JCU Job Ready
- JCU Motorsports
- JCU Prizes
- JCU Sport
- JCU Turtle Health Research
- Language and Culture Research Centre
- CEE
- LearnJCU
- Library
- Mabo Decision: 30 years on
- MARF
- Marine Geophysics Laboratory
- New students
- Off-Campus Students
- Office of the Vice Chancellor and President
- Virtual Open Day
- Orpheus
- Open Day
- Outstanding Alumni
- Parents and Partners
- Pathways to university
- Pharmacy Full Scope
- Planning for your future
- Placements
- Policy
- PAHL
- Publications
- Professional Experience Placement
- Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease
- Rapid Assessment Unit
- RDIM
- Researcher Development Portal
- Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing
- Safety and Wellbeing
- Scholarships
- Contextual Science for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems
- Staff
- State of the Tropics
- Strategic Procurement
- Student Equity and Wellbeing
- Student profiles
- SWIRLnet
- TARL
- TESS
- TREAD
- TropEco for Staff and Students
- TQ Maths Hub
- TUDLab
- Unicare Centre and Unicampus Kids
- UAV
- VAVS Home
- Work Health and Safety
- WHOCC for Vector-borne & NTDs
- Media
- Copyright and Terms of Use
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine
- Pay review
Image credit: Brett Wedding, Steve Grauf and Luke Pavich of Crop and Food Science, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Associate Professor Bronson Philippa leads the national Smart Technologies component of the $130 million eight-year FASTA program.
The Fresh and Secure Trade Alliance (FASTA) is a $130 million collaborative research initiative designed to protect and grow Australia’s horticultural exports. The program aims to increase horticultural market access, reduce the impact of endemic pests, improve preparedness for exotic biosecurity threats, and build research capacity across Australia.
“FASTA is an exciting program. It is a very large-scale research initiative, which means it can have a transformative impact on the Australian horticultural industries. Within the program, I am the national Component Lead for Smart Technologies, which means I am helping to manage the research strategy for the portfolio of technological projects. At the local level within JCU, our current work involves using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for insect identification, NIRS and computer vision for post-harvest quality assessment, and developing automation to amplify the effectiveness of the other FASTA components.”
Associate Professor Bronson Philippa
FASTA aims to increase domestic and international trade of fresh produce, increase capability to respond to emerging issues more quickly, and provide Australian growers with new tools to manage horticulture pests. The long timeline supports the research pipeline, enabling translation of research from the laboratory towards adoption in industry. The main objectives of the program are to:
- Increase international and domestic market access,
- Increase biosecurity preparedness for exotic pests,
- Reduce the impact of endemic pests on sustainable horticulture crop production, and
- Build research capacity across Australia.
The program is organised into six components: market access, stress physiology, integrated pest management, surveillance and diagnostics, smart technologies, and building capacity. Of these, JCU is most strongly involved in the smart technologies component. Current projects include developing optical methods for species identification of tephritid fruit flies, ultimately to work towards smart traps for real-time monitoring in the field, and rapid, non-destructive methods for detecting insect damage in horticultural produce.
This eight-year, $130 million program commenced in August 2023.
The Fresh and Secure Trade Alliance is funded through Hort Innovation's Hort Frontiers strategic partnership initiative, with co-investment from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Department of Tourism, Industry and Trade, Department of Primary Industries and Regions, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Queensland University of Technology, James Cook University, Western Sydney University, Australian Blueberry Growers’ Association, GreenSkin Avocados, and contributions from the Australian Government and the strawberry and avocado R&D levy.
Contact details
