Better disease detection is already in the air

摘要

Air sampling is a useful method for identifying and quantifying the presence of pathogen inoculum, and is increasingly being used to guide spray decisions, said Jon West, of Rothamsted Research. "Automated detection of what's in the air gives you advanced warning of airborne spores, which is how most diseases are initiated," he explained. "Even for common diseases, the timing of disease onset can vary each year and is often the difference between good and poor control." When air sampling is integrated with appropriate diagnostic methods, species that could not be identified by visual methods before are now being picked up, he added. "A good example of this is the new diagnostic for sclerotinia in oilseed rape," he said. "In 2007, there were elevated levels of pathogen DNA in the air, which was unexpected because it was unusually dry.