New methods for detecting and enumerating fungal spores of plant pathogens

Abstract

Information on the presence or absence of airborne spores or other particles would be useful in an increasing number of areas including agriculture. Traditional methods used for detecting and enumerating of airborne spores of fungal plant pathogens are time consuming and require specialist knowledge. Some spore types (e.g. ascospores) are difficult to differentiate using these methods. To facilitate this, new methods, which can be used to accurately differentiate fungal spore types, are required. A Burkard 7-day volumetric spore trap used in combination with an immunofluorescence test has been developed to detect and quantify field-trapped ascosporic inoculum of Mycosphaerella brassicicola (the ringspot pathogen of brassicas). This test has also been found useful in the validation of more rapid user-friendly immunoassay based trapping procedures. A microtiter immunospore trapping device, which uses a suction system to directly trap air-particulates by impaction into microtiter wells, has been used successfully for the rapid detection and quantification of ascosporic inoculum of M. brassicicola. The system shows potential for the rapid field-detection of airborne ascosporic inoculum of the ringspot pathogen.