Antibody-based diagnostic tools for the rapid detection of selected human and plant pathogens in vegetation, soils and compostsCurrent Products:
Simple to use tests for the detection of Trichoderma and Rhizoctonia solani
The following products are now available for purchase:
Trichoderma
What is Trichoderma?
Trichoderma is a cosmopolitan soil and compost-borne saprotrophic fungus used widely as a biological control agent in the fight against plant diseases caused by economically important plant pathogens.
Considerable efforts, both in the academic and commercial sectors, have been made to promote this group offungi as a credible alternative to synthetic chemicals in the fight against plant disease. A number of formulations containing biocontrol and plant-growth-promoting strains of T.harzianum, T. virens and T. viride are now marketed for thispurpose, but despite a proven ability to control soil and compost-borne pathogens, their potential as ecologically sound alternatives to organic fungicides has yet to be fully realized. One reason for this lack of success can be attributed to the absence of accurate and sensitive methods for monitoring the activity of biocontrol strains introduced into complex environments that contain mixed populations of fungi, such as soil and compost growing media.
Conventional methods fordetecting Trichoderma, which employ plate-enrichment techniques, do not always satisfactorily discriminate between Trichoderma species and other fungi in mixed populations. Furthermore, these assays are labour intensive, cumbersome and require considerable taxonomic expertise.
The development of a rapid, specific and sensitive assay for the detection of Trichoderma populations would enable a more accurate determination to be made of the presence of this important fungus in soil and compost samples, and would facilitate monitoring of the spread and survival of Trichoderma strains artificially introduced into plant growing media.
Research at Exeter University has recently led to the development of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) specific to Trichoderma species. It has been rigorously tested in soils, composts and plant materials and shown to detect Trichoderma species with 100% accuracy.
The antibody has now been used to develop a rapid and user-friendly lateral flow device for Trichoderma detection that can be usedby untrained personnel. The diagnostic kit allows the accurate monitoring of Trichoderma in soil, compost and on the roots of plants.
With a simple extraction procedure, the kit it can be used to determine the presence of natural populations of the fungus in soil and to monitor biocontrol and plant-growth-promoting isolates of Trichoderma artificially incorporated into soil and peat-based growing systems.
To view the test instructions: Click here
Growth promotion using species of Trichoderma
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Control of some soil-borne plant pathogens has also been demonstrated. The picture to the right shows suppression of R. solani when Trichoderma is added to the growth medium - top row with Trichoderma, bottom row without. |
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Rhizoctonia
What is Rhizoctonia solani?
R. solani is a pathogen which when present in soils and composts can cause significant plant damage, impaired plant growth and possible crop failure.
What sort of crop does it affect and how?
The key area of concern in the UK is in potatoes. Black scurf of potato caused by R. solani is a common and commercially important disease of potato tubers found in all production areas of the world. This disease affects potato development from emergence to harvest. In addition to the development of unsightly sclerotia or black scurf on tubers, which affect marketability of the crop, R. solani can affect plant emergence and cause stem canker symptoms, characterised by brown and black sunken lesions on the stems and stolons. Misshapen tubers with an uneven size distribution also result.
Further afield it can cause such diseases as root rot, stem rot, fruit and seed decay, damping off, foliar blight, and stem canker in crops such as tobacco and rice.
How do I know whether I have this is my soil/compost?
Until recently without sending a plant sample off to a lab there was no sure way of testing for R. solani.
After years of research Eco Diagnostics have developed a simple, inexpensive and accurate test that can be carried out by almost anyone and the product is now undergoing extensive field trials.
Why should I test for it?
Growers: to ensure your crop remains commercially viable.
Composters: to ensure the quality of your product.
