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Early alert system tested in pepper greenhouse for fungal pathogens
by The Grower
KAREN DAVIDSON
Outdoor technology – used to detect spores of late blight in Ontario potato fields -- is now moving indoors to test for fungal pathogens in greenhouse peppers. In the spring of 2022, the Spornado company installed its spore samplers in one bay at Twin Creeks Greenhouse, Watford. Ontario. In total, the facility owned and operated by Mike and Danielle Cornelissen grows 40 acres of bell peppers.
“We want to detect disease before it’s visually present on the leaves,” explains Mat Tyhurst, head grower. “The idea is to treat the affected area based on a positive from the air sampler.”
Currently, the funnel-shaped sampler is placed in one bay (0.25ac) of the greenhouse to trap airborne spores on specialized cassettes. Testing is for powdery mildew and Botrytis, which can be two of the most economically damaging diseases. The cassettes are sent to a laboratory once a week for analysis. Within 24 hours, the results are available.
A positive for either disease warrants an immediate intense investigation of the area and could result in a treatment. As Tyhurst explains, the research is limited on what an economic threshold is.
“I want to take an IPM approach,” Tyhurst says. “If we can use information from the sampler to make quicker and more informed decisions it’s a win for the greenhouse. Reducing treatment frequency and having a healthier crop during the season is a goal for Twin Creeks.”
Since initial trials in potato crops, Spornado samplers have been used for a wide array of fungal pathogens including Phytophthora infestans in tomato, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in canola Fusarium graminearum in wheat and other grains, as well as downy and powdery mildew in grapes.
“Entry into the greenhouse market is a significant opportunity for Spornado,” says
Kristine White, CEO. “The greenhouse produce industry in the U.S. and Canada is worth more than $2 billion annually and has been steadily growing over the past decade.”
The Spornado system is a seasonal subscription, which includes use of the sampler, disposable cassettes, and sample analysis from a partner laboratory. The costs depend on the number of samplers, duration of testing and number of diseases being monitored for. Up to three pathogens can be analysed on one cassette.
The question to be determined in greenhouses is how many Spornado samplers are needed. Tyhurst would like to use one in each quadrant of the 40 acres.
That means if a positive was found in one quadrant, he’d manage the entire 10 acres.
Tyhurst is committed to
