The objective of this project will be to test the Pathobox device on late season crops. This is a critical field (no pun intended), because late season crops represent crops that have received maximal input. However, they come with unique challenges, namely that the treatment window is very small. As such, the student will identify and test these crops. They will then deliver the results to producers and create a report outlining the statistical relevance of the assay.

1. Identifying vulnerable crops. The learner will identify producers in need of late season crop testing using pre-developed Pathobox assays. They will return a pdf of these results. This will take ~20 hours.
2. Testing the Pathobox with the producers identified in goal 1. The student will take the Pathobox assay kit into the field and conduct a trial for the producers they contacted. They will then deliver them a result using our prefabricated disease assay report template, and recommended course of agronomic action. This will take ~30 hours.
3. Verifying the Pathobox result. The learner will rerun the samples used for the Pathobox assay on a traditional qPCR machine. They will then compare this to the results obtained in objective 2 to determine if the results are valid. They will then present these results along with the statistical analysis back to us in a pdf. This will take around 10 hours.

As with all Pathoscan projects, the student will have access to our facilities, assays, and expertise. All relevant training and material will be provided by our staff. They will also be a part of a dynamic laboratory workplace that includes university faculty and other more experienced laboratory staff that they can connect with.