Early detection of late blight, or Phytophthora infestans, is key to managing its spread and reducing the impact on crops. But with two main methods of identification available, how do you know which one is best for you?

The method used in Spornado Sampler early disease detection systems is molecular based, qPCR, or quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Spornado Sampler allows scientists to identify Phytophthora infestans quickly and accurately by analyzing its DNA. This is done by extracting DNA from a sample, amplifying a specific region of the DNA using a polymerase enzyme, and then measuring the amount of amplified DNA using a qPCR machine.

The advantage of qPCR is that it can detect very low levels of the pathogen and it’s very precise and accurate. This is important because early detection of the disease is crucial to managing its spread, and qPCR allows for early detection even at low levels of the pathogen.

On the other hand, microscopic identification involves looking at the fungal spores or colonies under a microscope. This method is used to identify late blight based on its physical characteristics, such as shape, size, and color. However, Phytophthora infestans can look like many other species of Phytophthora under the microscope, making it extremely difficult to distinguish it from other pathogens.There are several species of Phytophthora that can look morphologically similar to Phytophthora infestans under the microscope, including:

• Phytophthora capsici – this species is a close relative of P. infestans and is known to cause blight and fruit rot on pepper and cucumber crops.
• Phytophthora ramorum – this species can cause sudden oak death and has wide distribution around the continental USA.
• Phytophthora kernoviae – this species attacks European beech trees, traditionally a Northwest European issue, it has now been found in the USA.

It’s important to note that the visual identification of Phytophthora species from spores alone can be challenging, even for an extensively trained and experienced technician, and often not possible, making it necessary to use molecular techniques, such as qPCR or DNA sequencing, to accurately identify the species. And this is true for many other fungal species that cause crop disease, such as Alternaria, Sclerotinia and mildews. This can be a limitation for farmers who need to quickly and efficiently manage their crops.

That’s where the Spornado Sampler comes in. Spornado is an early alert system for crop disease that is changing the way fungal pesticides are used.

Spornado brings molecular diagnostics to agriculture to provide farmers the data needed to choose and use their fungicides more effectively, saving crops and improving sustainability. It is an easy to use, inexpensive air sampler that allows you to know when crop disease is in the air — long before it’s seen in the field. This enables precision spraying, saving time, money, and increasing yields.

Spornado has been used for several years in potato and has proven to be an effective tool for farmers to detect Phytophthora infestans early on, even at low levels of the pathogen. It allows farmers to act before the disease spreads and causes significant damage to their crops.  

Contact us today to see how the molecular advantage could help your fungicide spray decision making. 

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