Detection of plant pathogen spores of economic significance on pollen trap slides

Abstract

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were used to evaluate a small number of samples from a volumetric spore trap normally used for counting pollen grains. Samples from a total of 6 days during July and August 2011 were screened. Pathogen DNA was detected from three of four groups of economically significant plant pathogens for which real-time PCR assays were available. These were Tilletia spp. on 1 day, Puccinia spp. on 2 days and Fusarium spp. on all 6 days. No amplification of real-time PCR assays was detected for Phytophthora infestans or P. ramorum. The results indicate that plant pathogens can be detected in air sampling networks, which are remote from arable cropping and deployed for other purposes. This has implications for rapidly identifying periods of pathogen dispersal and improving the accuracy of information on pathogen spore load in the atmosphere. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.