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ViewAttendees 7

TECHNICAL SESSION: Disease Diagnostics

Dual-site mobile spore trapping for detection of Pseudoperonospora cubensis, causal agent of cucurbit downy mildew, in North Carolina

Sunday, August 3, 2025
2:45 PM - 3:00 PM HST
Location: Room 311
Abstract Text: Pseudoperonospora cubensis is an obligate oomycete airborne pathogen and the causal agent of cucurbit downy mildew (CDM). This disease affects a wide range of Cucurbitaceous hosts such as cucumbers and squashes. CDM is currently managed by fungicide applications with multiple modes of action, which can be costly for growers. Spore trapping is a method used for the detection of airborne pathogens. Several stationary trap types have been previously developed. However, it is difficult to sample large acreage areas when traps are stationary. Two novel mobile spore traps were developed: rover- and drone-mounted traps. Mobile spore trap samples were collected at a research plot and a commercial cucumber field. DNA extraction was performed on the samples, followed by a qPCR with pathogen specific probes for P. cubensis. Results indicate that these two novel traps were effective in trapping pathogen spores at both locations. Future work will incorporate our mobile spore trapping system with fungicide resistance markers. This technology has the potential to provide growers with a more precise disease management strategy, using in-season fungicide sensitivity information.