Monitoring Aerial
Transport of Phakopsora pachyrhizi Spores |
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| Spread of Phakopsora pachyrhizi, like other rust fungi, occurs primarily by the aerial transport of spores (urediniospores). This transport occurs locally (field to field) by wind blown spores or long distance via transport in the upper atmosphere and deposition by rain. Asian soybean rust is a tropical disease and only survives winter conditions along the Gulf Coast in the U.S. and Central America. | |
 Supersniffer |
A forecasting system is needed to provide farmers with reliable information for management of Asian soybean rust. A part of this system would include a national network of spore traps that would serve to confirm and improve spore deposition models. Currently, several technologies have been developed to monitor the aerial movement of P. pachyrhizi spores and we are beginning to develop a database on spore transport across central and eastern U.S. However, many questions remain about the different spore trap technologies and the relationship between spore trap data and disease development in the field. |
| A team of researchers including Drs. Glen L. Hartman (ARS National Soybean Research Lab, Urbana, IL), Scott Isard, Raymond W. Schneider (Louisiana State University) and Les J. Szabo (ARS Cereal Disease Lab, St. Paul, MN) have launched a pilot study to correlate spore trap data and field disease development data. The specific objectives of the research are: (1) to compare spore trap data and disease development at three locations across southern U.S.; (2) to test SEM spore traps as 20 sites; (3) to monitoring of rain using NADP network system; (4) to develop a centralized spore trap database; and (5) to evaluate spore trap data for modeling and disease forecasting. | 
JB Rain collector (Photo: Les Szabo) |
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The core of the project is to establish
three monitoring sites (Baton Rouge, LA; Quincy, FL and Blackville,
SC) for the comparison of spore trap data and disease development.
Each site contains six different types of spore traps: (i) passive
air traps (glass slides and SEM- scanning electron microscopy);
(ii) active air traps (Supersniffer, Burkhard); (iii) passive rain
trap (JB collector); (iv) active rain trap (NADP style). The air
traps are being sampled daily and the rain traps will be sampled
after each rain event or weekly. This will provide for direct comparison
of the different spore trap technologies. The site will contain
two sentential soybean plots. One plot will contain misters to optimize
the conditions for disease development. Each plot will be scouted
weekly. In addition, each site will be equipped with a complete
weather station and detectors to monitor environmental conditions
within the plant canopy. |
