Spornado, a horn-shaped fungal spore detector, won the top prize for Agronomics in the Innovation in Agriculture Awards at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show .
“It’s a real honour, there’s some really cool tech (nominated),” said Kristine White, Spornado CEO and co-founder. “When you’re doing something new, awareness is really important, especially in ag. It’s been a really good conversation starter.”
Why it matters: Initially launched to detect spores in potato fields, Spornado now services a dozen crops across 23 countries, detecting upwards of 30 different diseases.
Read Also
Made-in-Ontario calcium bolus
Product is the first and only calcium bolus designed and manufactured in Ontario specifically to support calcium levels in fresh cows after calving.
The easy-to-use air sampler can detect fungal spores before field symptoms occur, allowing producers to prevent infection and plant impact proactively.
“We can detect disease in the air one to two weeks before it’s scouted in the field,” White said. “It gives them (farmers) a more targeted spray window on when to spray their fungicides.”
“We’re working with OMAFA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agri-business), looking at a bunch of diseases,” she explained, “including tar spot in corn disease in soybean and wheat.”
The benefit of partnerships with OMAFA or grower groups is gaining first-hand insight into the disease challenges, the varieties or hybrids being grown, the inputs applied, yields, and disease pressure.
“We can detect any airborne fungal disease,” she said. “But what ones can actually help improve their spraying and improve yields. We’re really fortunate that they collect (and share) that data.”
The Spornado continues to improve and evolve, providing farmers with an effective spore collection tool that features a solar-powered internal fan, drawing in air.
“(The original) was just passive, operated by wind,” explained White. “(During) a project with OMAFA in apples. We found that when the canopy grew on apple trees, we weren’t getting enough wind.”
White said the system is affordable, operating on a subscription model that includes the use of the unit, disposable cassettes, and lab analysis for the season, she said.
“Just stake it into the ground in the field,” explained White of the system. “It holds a disposable cassette that’s changed once a week, and it’s shipped overnight to one of our partner labs.”
Once there, it undergoes highly sensitive DNA analysis, detecting up to four fungal pathogens, with results emailed back to the producer within 24 hours.
For more coverage of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show 2025, visit our landing page.
