Location: Crop Improvement and Protection Research
Project Number: 2038-22000-019-041-T
Project Type: Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Apr 1, 2023
End Date: Sep 30, 2024
Objective:
The objectives are to 1) Examine the diurnal changes in the dispersal of Peronospora effusa, 2) Compare the airborne detection values of P. effusa and Bremia lactucae in the Salinas, Coachella, and Imperial Valleys of California, and 3) Conduct R-11 biopesticide testing in pre-inoculated field experiments.
Approach:
The biopesticide adjuvant R-11 will be applied to spinach plants in the field 24 and 48 hr prior to inoculation with the pathogen in the field. We have obtained permission to do small scale field inoculations. Multiplex quantitative DNA polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) approach will be used to determine quantities of P. effusa and B. lactucae from spore trap (airborne) samples collected from three different spinach and lettuce growing valleys in California. The same qPCR approach will be used to assess the amount of P. effusa at night and day using cyclone spore traps turning off and on at six hour intervals near a spinach field.
