In The News
Navigating Tar Spot in Corn: The Value of Effective Management Strategies
Tar Spot, a devastating disease affecting corn crops, continues to challenge farmers across North America. With the recent surge in cases, understanding the disease’s impact and evaluating management strategies is crucial for maintaining yield and profitability. This blog explores the importance of timely intervention, the potential benefits of multiple fungicide applications, and the latest research […]
Beyond the Microscope: Exploring the Power of Molecular Diagnostics and 24/7 Sampling
Using molecular diagnostics to identify fungal spores provides several benefits over traditional microscopic analysis. The main advantage is accuracy of identification and species differentiation. Species level identification is not generally possible from a spore alone. Most spore analysts identify to the genus level only as this is all that is reliable. For example, the genus […]
How Spore Trapping Can Help Your Farm
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 […]
Soil Health and Fungicides
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, […]
Potato & Tomato: A summary of important Fungal Diseases
“Why did the potato go on a date with the tomato? Because it wanted to ‘ketchup’!” Potato and tomato are not only a great pairing to eat, but they are also two of the crops that Spornado is highly focused on. Potato diseases can have a significant effect on yields and costs associated with potato production. […]
Fungicide Resistance
Fungicides are a valuable tool in the fight against fungal diseases, however, their extensive use has led to the development of fungicide-resistant strains of fungi. This means that the fungicides that once worked effectively against these fungi are now ineffective. This is becoming a large concern in the world of agriculture as some common fungicides […]
Early Crop Disease Detection: Molecular vs. Microscopy
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 […]
Silver Scurf in Potato Storage
In collaboration with a potato processor, Spornado is excited to be monitoring potatoes in storage for the first time to detect Silver Scurf, caused by the fungus Helminthosporium solani. This disease causes silver-gray patches to appear on the skin of the potato and reduces the marketability of the crop if the potatoes are visibly infected. The severity of silver […]
Spornado @ Twin Creeks Greenhouse
Spornado is being used indoors for the first time at Twin creeks greenhouse, a family owned and operated company with 40 acres of peppers under glass in southwestern Ontario. Their commitment to innovation, green practices and product excellence led them to seek out the data driven disease management Spornado provides. Entry into the greenhouse market […]
