Many significant fungal diseases that affect the most commercially important crops are dispersed via the air as part of their reproductive cycle. The practice of air sampling and spore trapping has long existed for variety reasons, including epidemiology, indoor environmental health, pollen indices and agricultural disease risk assessments. Simply put, spore trapping is the practice of sampling the air for the presence of spores. In the agricultural setting, spore trapping can help farmers in several ways.

Spore trapping assists in making fungicide decisions by providing valuable information about the presence and activity of fungal pathogens in the air. Fungi release spores into the air as a means of reproduction, and the concentration of these spores can indicate the level of disease pressure in a particular area. By using spore trapping devices, growers can monitor the concentration and type of spores present in the air, which can help them make informed decisions about when and what fungicides to apply to their crops. For example, if spore trapping indicates a high concentration of spores for a particular fungal pathogen, farmers can take action to prevent or control the spread of the disease by applying fungicides at the appropriate time.

Fungicides can either prevent or stop the early growth of pathogens in plant tissues. Preventative fungicides act as a protective barrier, while curative fungicides are most effective in the first 24-72 hours after infection. It’s important to apply fungicides before infection occurs to achieve maximum effectiveness. Therefore, early detection of disease is critical. Research from Michigan State University on cucurbit downy mildew showed that spore trapping detected Pseudoperonospora cubensis spores 5-10 days before symptoms appeared. Spornado’s own research shows detection of late blight of Potato and Tomato (Phythopthora infestans) up to 14 days before symptoms appeared.  This early alert of disease in the air enables optimal spray timing, rather than then traditional practice of scouting for signs of disease or using weather based predicative models.

Some research shows that farmers could reduce the number of sprays in a season depending on geography and crop type. For example, research in 2019 in vineyards showed that fungicide sprays were reduced by 25% when using spore trapping to monitor Powdery Mildew.  When comparing predictive weather models to ground truth spore data, we found that the models were too conservative leading to 4 weeks of additional spraying for late blight at the beginning of the potential disease window. Other research (Mahaffee, 2014) shows that on average, grape growers can save about 2.3 sprays / season using spore trapping. 

Spore trapping can save labour when it comes to scouting by reducing the amount physically scouting that needs to occur. By using spore data, agronomists can focus their efforts to scout for the highest risk diseases in the highest affected areas of the field. In vineyards, the visual inspection of 1,000 leaves / acre is required to detect powdery mildew at an incidence of 1% (Mahaffee, 2014). Visual signs of disease are also a lagging indicator of infection; once you see disease it could be too late for fungicides to work optimally. While scouting remains critical to disease management decisions, spore trapping can improve the practice immensely.

Additionally, spore trapping can help growers evaluate the effectiveness of their fungicide programs by monitoring the spore concentration before and after treatment. This can help them determine if their current fungicide program is working, or if adjustments need to be made to prevent further disease spread.

In the greenhouse setting the case for spore trapping is even more evident. High intensity, small grow areas with high value speciality crops really benefit from a preventative approach. Instead of the inefficiency and expense of calendar spraying, an IPM approach can save money on sprays and increase the quality and quantity of the crop yield.

There are many reasons why spore trapping is beneficial to farmers, ultimately allowing better decisions and time savings while improving the bottom line and increasing crop yield and quality. Contact Spornado today to learn more about how spore sampling can help your operation.

Fungicides are an essential tool in agriculture, but their use can have negative impacts on the environment and even the crops they are designed to help. One environmental risk of fungicide use is the impact on soil health, particularly on beneficial fungi.

Fungi play a crucial role in soil health by breaking down organic matter, cycling nutrients, and forming relationships with plant roots that can enhance plant growth and disease resistance. However, fungicides can disrupt these important relationships by killing beneficial fungi along with harmful ones. This can lead to a decline in soil health, reduced plant growth, and increased susceptibility to diseases.

Recent research has highlighted the negative impacts of fungicides on beneficial fungi. A study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution showed how fungicides can lead to significantly lower phosphorus uptake by plants by affecting Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi have an important symbiotic role with around 80% of plants. They are considered a natural biofertilizer because of their potential to improve soil quality, water stress tolerance and increase nitrogen and phosphorus and pathogen protection in exchange for photosynthesis products from the plant.

In addition to their impact on beneficial fungi, fungicides can also have other negative impacts on soil health. Fungicides can accumulate in soil over time, leading to contamination of nearby waterways and potential harm to non-target organisms such as earthworms, microbes, and other beneficial soil organisms. Fungicides can also disrupt soil microbial communities, which can lead to a decrease in the overall health and productivity of the soil.

Reducing fungicide use is an important part of regenerative agriculture, which focuses on building healthy soils and ecosystems. There are many approaches to reducing fungicide use, including the use of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, which rely on a combination of different control methods and minimize the use of pesticides. IPM approaches can also include the use of beneficial fungi and bacteria, which can help control fungal diseases without the use of chemicals.

While fungicides remain one of the most important tools for controlling pathogenic fungi and crop diseases, the environmental risks of fungicide are not insignificant, particularly in their impact on beneficial fungi and soil health. Regenerative agriculture approaches that promote soil health and resilience, as well as the use of IPM strategies, can help reduce the reliance on fungicides and promote more sustainable agricultural practices.