A Detached Leaf Assay for Rapidly Screening Plant Pathogen-Biological Control Agents

Abstract

The detached leaf assay (DLA) is a nondestructive method for evaluating interactions between plants and disease-causing agents that allows quick characterization of potential pathogens’ infectivity and plants’ resistance to them. Here we show its utility for also assessing potential biological control agents (BCAs), by demonstrating its applicability for screening potential BCAs for the strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) pathogen Phytophtora cactorum.