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Molecular Plant Testing

Molecular Plant Diagnostics

Screen To Plant Clean

Clean, healthy plants establish quicker and maximize your ROI. Early and rapid detection of plant pathogens provides advanced knowledge of impact and spread. Our molecular diagnostic techniques can detect pathogens like Little Cherry Virus-2 and X-Disease at the earliest stages of infection, helping you stop their spread faster and minimize loss.

True-To-Type

Mix-ups do happen… we’re all human. Our True-To-Type testing services deliver fast, reliable results to help maintain accuracy in the nursery or field.

Agile and Scalable

Plant breeders can partner with us to ensure they’re using the latest DNA/RNA molecular services available in a rapid, high-throughput, one-stop shop environment. We help plant breeders release new varieties faster and more accurately.

Learn How We Do This

How We Do This

Virus Screening by RTqPCR

The current industry standard for pathogen diagnostics, RTqPCR targets a small section of unique genetic material specific to each virus tested to provide quick and accurate diagnoses of infected crops. This method is ideal for rapid screening of individual plants for up to five viruses at a time.

Qualterra is continually updating our virus screening abilities and methods to have the most comprehensive screening panels. High throughput sampling and robotic RNA extraction means we offer quick results and competitive pricing. We have virus screening panels for Apple, Cherry, Hops, Pear, and Grape. Contact us for more information and a quick estimate.

For diagnosis of Little Cherry Virus-2 and X-Disease, we use protocols provided by the WSU Clean Plant Center Northwest. Visit the WSU Tree-Fruit Website for more information regarding viral titers in infected crops. Every year, Qualterra participates in the CPCNW Little Cherry Disease testing program to be listed as a proficient testing site. In addition, Qualterra has been awarded Small Business and Innovation grants to compare LCD detection methods and develop high throughput methods for sensitive, quick turnaround and cost-effective detection.

Virus Screening by Sequencing

Our most sensitive option for detection of viruses and viroids, RNA sequencing (RNAseq) combines enrichment for viruses with next-generation sequencing technology. All viruses and viroids present are detected, even at very low titers and before infected plants become symptomatic. This method is ideal for screening mother plants, new varieties, and pooled blocks of crops. Contact us for more information and a quick estimate.

	RT-PCR	RT-qPCR	RNAseq
Price	✓	✓✓	✓✓✓
Turnaround	✓✓✓✓	✓✓✓✓✓	✓
Number of Samples	✓✓	✓✓✓	✓✓✓
Sensitivity	✓✓✓	✓✓✓✓	✓✓✓✓✓
Number of Diseases Detected per Test	✓	✓✓	✓✓✓✓✓
Confidence of Results	✓	✓✓✓	✓✓✓✓✓
Discovery Potential			✓✓✓✓✓

Variety Verification / Trueness-to-type testing

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping is a method of variety verification based on identification and comparison of small (single-base) genetic changes in closely related crops. Qualterra has curated SNP panels for Apple, Pear, Cherry, Hops, Hazelnut, and Grape. Our robotic DNA extraction capabilities allow us to screen hundreds of samples at a time. In addition, Qualterra sources new varieties from Clean Plant Network annually to update and validate our database of known genotypes and new SNP assays. We can genotype your new variety, check your blocks for trueness to type or compare an unknown variety to our database. Contact us for more information and a quick estimate.

S-Allele Testing

Molecular testing to determine a variety’s genetic pollination compatibility with other varieties.

Available for Cherry. Contact for other species and for a quick estimate.

Variety	Allele Composition	Incompatibility Group
Bing	S3S4	III
Compact Stella	S3S4'	Self-compatible
Vista	S2S5	VIII
Lapins	S1S4'	Self-compatible

Other Services

Sport / New Variety Verification. Please contact us for details and pricing.

DNA / RNA Robotic Extraction services. Please contact us for details and pricing.

Capillary Gel Electrophoresis services. Please contact us for details and pricing.

DNA Sequencing services. Please contact us for details and pricing.

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