Automated imaging-based screening platform for biocontrol agent discovery

Overview

This solution addresses a critical bottleneck in agricultural biocontrol discovery: the labour-intensive manual screening of large microbial strain collections for agents effective against crop pests and pathogens. By combining established bioassay expertise with automated imaging technologies, the platform enables faster, more consistent identification of promising biocontrol candidates from national microbial reference collections.

The approach supports the discovery of fungal isolates capable of controlling lepidopteran pests (such as caterpillars and moths) and oomycete and fungal plant diseases. These biocontrol agents offer sustainable alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides, helping growers meet regulatory and consumer demands for reduced chemical inputs.

Technical specifications

Core capabilities:

• Automated imaging-based scoring of bioassays for high-throughput screening
• Detection and quantification of crop pests and pathogens through image analysis
• Standardised testing in containers or 96-well plates for consistency and scalability
• Time-course monitoring of pest behaviour and mortality following isolate application
• For fungal targets, image analysis of zones of inhibition and growth rates to identify the most efficacious combinations
• Parallel validation comparing automated imaging results against standard manual assessment methods

Collaborative expertise:

• Bioassay expertise and access to the National Strain Collection provided through CABI
• Imaging equipment and expertise from the CHAP Fine Phenotyping Laboratory based at Rothamsted Research
• Coordination under the CHAP umbrella to integrate strain collections, bioassay workflows, and imaging analytics

Technology readiness level

The platform builds on two validated foundations: prior manual screening of the National Strain Collection has successfully identified effective biocontrol agents, including an isolate of Isaria fumosorosea showing efficacy against crop pests. In parallel, the CHAP Fine Phenotyping Lab has demonstrated imaging-based detection and quantification of crop pests and pathogens.

The next stage of validation will identify a core set of test isolates from the National Reference Collection, apply them against lepidopteran pests and oomycete or fungal plant diseases, and compare automated imaging-based assessment with manual scoring at CABI. This validation phase will establish the reliability, efficiency gains, and scalability of the automated screening pipeline.