APS Abstracts of Presentations

Preliminary evaluation of passive spore traps for Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the soybean rust pathogen
E. MUMMA (1), R. Schneider (1), C. Robertson (1), C. Giles (1), J. Marois (2), D. Wright (2)
(1) Dept. Plant Pathology & Crop Physiology, Louisiana State University AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA 70803; (2) North Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Quincy, FL 32351, USA
Phytopathology 96:S82

Asian soybean rust (ASR) was first detected in Louisiana in November 2004. As early detection is the key to managing ASR, a sentinel network was developed to alert growers when and where soybean rust appears in soybean-producing states. Spore traps also were used as an early detection mechanism, and they seemed to be useful in detecting the pathogen weeks before symptoms appeared on plants. Research was conducted in 2005 at the University of Florida’s North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy, FL, where a severe rust epidemic was in progress. The objective was to correlate spore counts among three different spore traps: a homemade weather vane style passive trap, a Burkard 7-day recording volumetric spore trap, and a Burkard Cyclone sampler. Weather data were collected, and spore counts were analyzed to determine spore production and dispersion during several 7-day study periods. Preliminary results indicated a pattern in spore release: the highest concentrations of spores were released around noon, plus or minus 3 hours. Early data also suggested that the passive traps and the Burkard 7-day recording trap yielded similar results with respect to total spores counted. This information will allow growers and researchers to rely more on passive traps, which are less costly and can be homemade.

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