When raindrops hit a leaf of a wheat plant infected with rust – a pathogenic spore that has decimated crops globally – the leaf flutters, creating tiny swirling vortices of air that disperse the spores, where they could end up infecting healthy plants.
An analysis of this effect using high-speed cameras, described in the Jan. 31 issue of Science Advances, could be a first step toward designing a strategy to help reduce pathogens – not just spores but also bacteria, oomycetes and viruses – from spreading from leaves.
Each year about 20% of wheat is lost due to a variety of diseases, many of them airborne. For example, airborne wheat rust spores can potentially get picked up by intercontinental winds and travel across continents and even oceans, making disease control difficult. This is the first study to analyze spore dispersion at its source, where rain droplets shake flexible leaves to initially disperse the pathogens.
Applying theoretical analysis to the high-speed camera footage, the researchers were able to predict the trajectory of spores and how they are carried by a swirling motion created by the vibrating leaves.
Read more at Cornell University
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