Timing sprays: a new technique allows for the quick detection of fungal diseases, alerting stone fruit and nut growers as to when they should spray -- or not spray

摘要

Imagine if you didn't have to depend on the calendar to tell you when to spray for brown rot and other diseases. If you could really, truly tell what was going on in your orchards so you would know the optimum time to spray. Or, if you were really lucky, you could hold off on one cover and save a few thousand bucks. You'll be happy to learn that day isn't far off. Themis Michailides and three postdoctoral colleagues at the University of California have developed a new technique that can quickly detect invisible fungal disease spores in fruit and nut crops. The rapid test, developed at the Kearney Agricultural Center plant pathology molecular laboratory in Parlier, CA, could save growers millions in unnecessary fungicide application costs. And by reducing pesticide runoff from orchards, it might save growers some environmental headaches as well.