Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM) and Tekfen Tarım broke new ground in the world for rapid diagnosis of plant diseases in the field as a result of their joint technology and innovation studies. The prototype developed by SUNUM and Tekfen Tarım can detect plant diseases while they are still in the field. The prototype developed jointly by Stuart Lucas, full-time researcher at SUNUM, and Meltem Elitaş and Ali Fuat Ergenç, part-time researchers at SUNUM, can detect the disease while they are in the field without sending samples to the laboratory, which is a first in the world.
Hakan Göral, General Manager of Toros Tarım and Vice Chair of Tekfen Holding responsible for Agricultural Industry Group, noted that this new device was a very important achievement for more efficient agricultural production in Turkey. Highlighting that they were proud of breaking new ground, Göral continued, “In everything we do, we aim to take steps that will make the lives of Turkish farmers easier, reduce cost items and develop our country economically. Thanks to this device, we contributed to a more qualified agriculture in our country as plant diseases can be detected while they are still in the field. We will continue to carry out studies in order to prevent yield and quality loss in agriculture”.
Prof. Dr. Fazilet Vardar Sukan, Director of Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM) said, “We are proud that Tekfen Tarım, one of the pioneers of agriculture in Turkey, placed its trust in SUNUM's infrastructure and manpower. Thanks to our cooperation, disease-related problems can be prevented through rapid and early detection of diseases in agricultural crops when they are in the field. By realizing a first in the world, we have taken a unique step that will serve to increase the quality of agriculture”.
