EcoPath Solutions
Cluster Connect Partipant
EcoPath Solutions
Australia loses an estimated $160 million each year to Phytophthora, a fast-killing soil pathogen capable of persisting for decades. Without effective intervention, the economic and ecological cost is projected to reach $1.6 billion over the next decade.
EcoPath Solutions addresses this challenge with a first-of-its-kind, field-deployable diagnostic system that enables early detection, reduces testing costs, and supports proactive biosecurity management across farms, forests, nurseries and urban landscapes.
Business Type
Founded
Location
Enterprise Scale
Target Market
Focus
Background
EcoPath Solutions was developed by Director Sarah Dunstan in collaboration with the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, PlantClinic following more than two decades working in plant disease diagnostics.
Sarah began her career in the Royal Botanic Gardens’ Diagnostic Unit, where Fusarium and Phytophthora were the primary focus. This work built deep expertise in pathogen identification, species variation, and the long-term ecological and production impacts of soil-borne disease.
Traditional diagnostics relied on labour-intensive methods and long turnaround times, limiting their usefulness in commercial and environmental settings. After working in the Faculty of Agriculture in plant pathology at The University of Sydney, Sarah returned to the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, PlantClinic post-COVID to help address the persistent problem: existing diagnostic approaches were too slow, too expensive and too inaccessible to drive meaningful change on the ground.
The Challenge
Phytophthora presents a significant and growing threat to agriculture, horticulture, forestry and native ecosystems. Current detection methods rely heavily on laboratory testing, requiring specialised facilities, trained personnel and extended processing times.
As a result, many operators depend on visual inspection, often identifying infections only once they are advanced and difficult or impossible to contain, including missing Phytophthora in non-symptomatic samples.
The consequences include yield losses in high-value crops such as macadamias and avocadoes, infected nursery stock entering supply chains, plantation decline, and widespread biodiversity loss.
With more than 90 Phytophthora species present in Australia and over 300 worldwide, eradication is not possible. Early detection remains the most effective defence against introduction of new Phytophthora species, a challenge intensified by climate change as pathogens establish in regions where they previously could not survive.
What They Changed
EcoPath Solutions developed PhytoGuard®, a scalable, non-destructive, field-deployable diagnostic platform that reduces testing costs by more than 90% while enabling batch and individual testing of plants, soil, mulch, aggregates and water samples.
The system converts an intermediate bulk container into a controlled testing unit that actively encourages Phytophthora to release spores. Within this unit, samples are irrigated by the IrriGuard® controller, generating leachate that drains into a custom PathTrap® device. The PathTrap® concentrates Phytophthora spores allowing them to be chemically attracted to the PhytoBait® which floats in the trap, and is then sent to the PlantClinic laboratory for DNA analysis. This workflow provides clear, laboratory‑verified results in days instead of the weeks required for traditional baiting and culturing methods. PhytoGuard® is scalable allowing thousands of samples to be tested simultaneously, onsite, significantly reducing biosecurity risks associated with sample transport and delayed detection.
Program Experience
The Industry Growth Program and the Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN) have provided critical support to EcoPath Solutions that has directly strengthened the outcomes of this grant. Through structured advisory sessions and facilitated introductions, they have been able to connect with investors, manufacturing partners and a network of like‑minded agrifood innovators, accelerating our commercialisation pathway. The program activities have given EcoPath Solutions clearer strategic direction, expanded their industry-based knowledge and increased confidence in refining their business model and market approach. Importantly, this support has helped validate their concept and business plans, and significantly improve presentation and pitching skills, enabling them to communicate the value, feasibility and impact of EcoPath Solutions and PhytoGuard® more effectively to stakeholders.Â
EcoPath Solutions participated in Queensland’s Gatton AgTech 2025 Showcase and the Melbourne EvokeAg Conference in 2026 acquiring valuable partners and customers.
Outcomes So Far
PhytoGuard® is already in use at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney PlantClinic diagnostic lab and horticultural nursery, and is to be implemented at Mount Tomah and Mount Annan Botanic Gardens, where all incoming plants are tested before being planted in the ground.
Sector Impact
Field investigations across national parks and remote sites, including Lord Howe Island and Barrington Tops, have highlighted the broader ecological consequences of introduced species of Phytophthora.
When native vegetation is affected, biodiversity loss follows, along with the collapse of animal habitat. In regions such as Barrington Tops, species including marsupial rats are already facing extinction as a direct result.
EcoPath Solutions impact extends beyond production systems, supporting long-term ecosystem protection and environmental resilience.
Goals & Vision
EcoPath Solutions operates as a small enterprise with a clear focus on scale, integration and impact. Development has been supported by in-house engineering, systems design and CAD capability.
Based in the Blue Mountains of NSW, the business works nationally to demonstrate PhytoGuard’s® application across agriculture, horticulture and forestry.
The long-term goal is to integrate PhytoGuard® into nursery biosecurity standards, certification frameworks and best-practice protocols, while partnering with large organisations to embed the system within existing agricultural biosecurity programs.
International recognition is growing, with presentations delivered to the Australasian Plant Pathology Association and Landcare conferences, and emerging interest from the United States and New Zealand. Future development includes regional workshops and adaptation of the baiting platform for additional soil-borne pathogens.
Advice for Other Startups
Start with real-world problems and design solutions that reduce complexity and costs rather than add to it.
For EcoPath Solutions, impact comes from enabling early detection, practical deployment and scalable adoption, giving producers and land managers the tools to act before biosecurity threats escalate and become irreversible biodiversity loss, reputational damage, and finanical risk to industries.