News » 08.06.2026 - Accurate and rapid on-site testing for intact virus at the nursery
Royal Brinkman and Spark Radar, supplier of presymptomatic detection kits, have announced a new partnership. Together, they are introducing an intelligent solution for effectively monitoring pathogens in protected horticulture. With the Radar detection kits, growers can detect viruses and bacteria quickly, easily and reliably in their own crop environment. The detection kits are a practical decision-support tool within an ICM strategy for resilient crop production.
Do I have an infection caused by intact virus, or not? Until now, growers often had to wait many days or even weeks for an answer to that question through testing by external laboratories. In the case of, for example, a Tobamovirus, including Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) or Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), growers need to know where they stand as quickly as possible, so they can take appropriate measures. Not only during the crop cycle, but also during crop rotation. With this introduction, detection kits are now available worldwide for detecting intact virus in leaf material, seed, water and on surfaces in the grower's own crop environment.
Left to right: Bas Lebouille (Spark Radar), Maartje Jung (Royal Brinkman), Rogier van der Voort (Spark Radar) and Jasper Verhoeven (Royal Brinkman).
Easy and fast
With the Radar detection kits, growers can quickly and easily test on-site for the presence of intact virus. Radar stands for 'Rapid Disease Recognition'. In four/five steps, growers receive a clear result within a few hours: intact virus present or not present. The result is reliable and highly accurate, comparable to testing by external laboratories. Because the testing is carried out in-house, the confidentiality of the result is also safeguarded. Radar detection kits test for the presence of intact virus. This means that the virus is complete and functional. As a result, it is capable of causing infection in the crop and therefore poses a risk. Some other tests also detect non-intact virus, meaning that the virus has degraded or been damaged and can no longer cause infection in the crop. To accurately assess the risk to the crop from the presence of virus, the ability to detect only intact virus is essential.
Viruses
The Radar self-tests for intact virus detection are currently available for, among others, ToBRFV (Tomato brown rugose fruit virus) in tomato, CGMMV (Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus) in cucumber, and TMV (Tobacco mosaic virus) in ornamental crops such as petunia. Spark Radar is also able to develop new tests on request for the detection of other viruses and bacteria. After evaluation, these tests are included in the innovation programme and can be used in practice within a few months after validation.
Single Leaf or Multi Leaf
For virus detection in plant material, two tests are available: the Single Leaf Scan, for detecting one plant that is already showing symptoms, and the Multi Leaf Scan, for detecting up to 100 leaf samples at once. By routinely testing large numbers of leaves presymptomatically as part of a hygiene protocol, suspect plants can be identified quickly and effectively. This is not only relevant during the crop cycle, but also for checking the crop at the start of a new cultivation cycle. The water and surface tests also give growers the opportunity to verify and further optimise their cleaning and disinfection protocols during crop rotation.
Partnership
This partnership is the result of a shared mission and vision, market validation and practice-oriented experience. By combining Royal Brinkman's broad horticultural expertise with Spark Radar's specialist technological innovation, growers worldwide now have the opportunity to detect viruses and bacteria at an early stage, make better decisions and take targeted action.
Maartje Jung, Innovation Manager at Royal Brinkman, says: "Not only proving that a pathogen is present, but knowing if it is still able to infect te crop, is the information growers are looking for. Active monitoring of this is an essential part of a successful Integrated Crop Management approach and can now be carried out easily in the grower's own crop environment. This marks a real breakthrough."
Shelf life
Various Spark Radar test variants are available for virus detection in leaf material, seed, water and on surfaces. The detection kit is modular: the basic equipment, the mini lab, can be used for all current and future disease assays. The tests can be stored in the refrigerator and have an average shelf life of three months.
A shared vision for the future of horticulture
Spark Radar CEO Rogier van der Voort adds: "Royal Brinkman is a trusted leader in global horticulture and we are proud to work together with a partner that shares our belief in the power of innovation. By joining forces, we are bringing growers one step closer to the right tools for Integrated Crop Management — and creating real impact in the horticultural sector."
Radar detection kits live at GreenTech 2026
The Radar detection kits will be showcased at the Royal Brinkman stand, 01.227, during GreenTech Amsterdam from 9 to 11 June. Growers and other interested parties are invited to speak with the specialists.
Source: www.floraldaily.com
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