Using the MARPLE kit to diagnose wheat rust in Ethiopia
- From
-
Published on
12.08.19
- Impact Area

MARPLE (Mobile and Real-time PLant disEase) Diagnostics is a revolutionary mobile lab developed by a team from the John Innes Centre (JIC), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR). It uses nanopore sequence technology to rapidly diagnose and monitor wheat rust in farmers’ fields.
Designed to be used without constant electricity and in varying temperatures, the suitcase-sized lab allows researchers to identify wheat rust to strain level in just 48 hours — something that used to take months using other tools.
The MARPLE team was recognized as Innovator of the Year for international impact in 2019 by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
Related news
-
Inside the global effort to defend rice from major diseases
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)18.08.25-
Food security
By Van Schepler-Luu & Myrtel Anne Valenzuela Rice diseases such as bacterial blight and blast…
Read more -
-
Africa's smallholder farmers face collapse if we do not act on climate change
Sehlule Muzata14.08.25-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
-
Food security
-
Nutrition, health & food security
By John Choptiany Climate change is here. It is real. African smallholder farmers - the…
Read more -
-
ICRISAT Champions Climate-Resilient, Nutrition-Secure Agriculture at M.S. Swaminathan Centenary International Conference
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)13.08.25-
Food security
-
Poverty reduction, livelihoods & jobs
The Prof. M.S. Swaminathan Centenary International Conference, held in New Delhi from 7–9 August 2…
Read more -