How to use our testing kits:

Trichoderma spp.

Welcome to your testing device for beneficial Trichoderma species.This technology, based on alateral flow device (LFD) and similar to that used in a home pregnancy testing kit, uses very specific antibodies for detection and can provide very accurate results within minutes as to the presence/absence of Trichoderma species, if used according to the instructions provided.

In the event of a positive reading being obtained it is recommended that a further sample should be sent to an independent laboratory to identify the species present – this service is also provided by EcoDiagnostics Ltd.

Instruction Video

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You can test for the presence of Trichoderma in two ways:

To enable you to carry out these tests you will require the following items from the enclosed kit:

· 50ml Falcon tube (x2)

· 30ml tubes of extraction/running buffer (x2)

· Pipette (x2)

· Lateral Flow Device x 1 (in foil packs)

1. Extraction Procedure (for testing soils, composts and root material):

A) Place 15ml (~ 6g) of moistened soil, compost or chopped root material into the 50ml Falcon tube labelled A (Fig. 1) and add to this 30ml of extraction buffer A from the Universal tube labelled A (Fig 2). Replace lid and shake the contents of the Falcon tube vigorously for 1 minute and then repeat this procedure at 10-minute intervals for up to an hour (Fig. 3). After this time, allow the contents of Falcon tube A to settle for a further hour in an upright position.

           fig. 1                           fig. 2                                fig.3

 B) Whilst waiting for the contents of tube A to settle, prepare the LFD running buffer by adding the buffer in the Universal tube labelled B to the powder contained in Falcon tube B. Shake the solution until the powder has fully dissolved - 1 to 2 minutes - (Fig. 4).

       

�������������� fig.4                              fig. 5                              fig. 6

C) After A has settled for one hour (as described in A above), carefully remove 1ml of the solution above the sediment (supernatant) - using one of the graduated pipettes supplied (Fig. 5) - and add this to the running buffer in Falcon tube B (Fig 6). Replace lid and shake the contents of the tube to mix both the extract and buffer together – the sample is now ready for testing.

D) Remove a Lateral Flow Device (LFD) from the foil pack and place onto a horizontal surface ready for use.

E) Now follow the procedure for running the LFD test

 

2. Using the Lateral Flow Device

 

Using the second graduated pipette, remove a small amount of the solution in Falcon tube B and carefully place no more than three (3) drops of this onto the lateral flow device (Fig. 7) and allow it to travel along the strip – a migration line should appear within the viewing window in about 30 seconds.

 

��������� fig. 7

Allow the test to develop for about 10 to 15 minutes. After this time an intense red line will appear towards the ‘C’ of the viewing window – this is the control and shows that the test has worked (c.f. Fig. 7). If a second line appears towards the ‘T’ of the viewing window this is a positive result and indicates that the fungus is present:

Negative result: The appearance of one red line only. 

Positive result: The appearance of two red lines – possibly differing in colour intensity. Greater colour intensity will reflect a larger amount of fungus present in the sample.