Long description

A flowchart showing how DNA is collected from the air and sequenced to identify crop pathogens and pests.

The top-left image is a collage of three overlapping photos. One shows a green insect (aphid) on a stem. The others show diseased plant leaves with brown, decaying spots and yellow streaking. This collage is labelled crop damage.

There is an arrow pointing right, towards the next stage.

The top-right image shows three black DNA double-helix icons floating amid light blue curved lines that represent wind currents. The label for this image is Airborne DNA.

There is an arrow pointing downwards, towards the next stage.

The middle-right image is a photograph of a square, white air sampling filter box mounted inside a green housing. Multiple DNA icons are superimposed onto the white filter face. The label for this image is DNA captured in air filter.

There is an arrow pointing left, towards the next stage.

The middle-left image is a black and white line drawing of a laboratory test tube containing a DNA strand next to a blocky schematic of a laboratory analysis machine. The label for this image is Sequencing.

There is an arrow pointing downwards, towards the next stage.

The bottom-left image is two boxes. On the left, a text block with genetic sequencing data:

@5094:3149

AATAATGAAAGG

+

GGGGGGGGGGEG

@5113:3159

AATTCCTTTTAG

+

GGGG>FGGGFGB

@5094:3149

AAATTCAACGTT

+

GGGGG@FDDBGG

Three black lines map these text strings to specific four-letter genetic codes and each code sits next to a small colour-coded icon representing a microbe or insect, as follows:

@5094:3149 AATAATGAAAGG + goes to AATA, purple colour microbe icon.

GGGGGGGGGGEG @5113:3159 AATTCCTTTTAG +goes to AATT, green insect icon.

GGGG>FGGGFGB @5094:3149 AAATTCAACGTT + GGGGG@FDDBGG goes to AAAT, orange-brown microbe icon.

AACT does not have a line going to it and has a brown insect icon. This whole box is labelled Classification.

There is an arrow pointing right, towards the next stage.

The bottom right image has enlarged versions of three of the icons from the previous stage. It shows a green insect, purple colour microbe, and an orange-brown microbe. This stage is labelled Pathogen and pest identification.