New
Tools Added in 2007
to Monitor Soybean Rust
The North American Soybean Rust Sentinel plot network has proven to be an effective
"early warning system" and decision support tool for producers and advisors.
Additional technologies have been added which screen rainfall (filtrate) samples
and air samples for the presence of soybean rust spores. In 2006, two passive
spore trap systems (JB rainfall collectors and Syngenta Rust Tracker) were added
to the sentinel plots. The Syngenta traps (Figure 1) are used
to collect spores that are transported by wind (dry deposition) whereas the JB
collectors (Figure 2) are intended to collect spores that are
washed out during rain storms (wet deposition). They are both called passive collectors
since they are open to the elements at all times and not only during rainfall.
Figure
1. Syngenta Spore Tracker
Figure
2. JB Rain Collector
In 2007, two new active collectors have been added
to further enhance the Ontario soybean rust detection network. The first is the
automated "Loda" collector (Figure 3) which has sensors
that open collection buckets during rain events only. The other is Burkhard collectors
(Figure 4) that sample air directly for potential spores. They
are considered active collectors as they selectively take samples.
Figure
3. Automated Rainfall Collector "Loda"
Figure
4. Burkhard Sampler
Funding for this project was provided in part by AAFC
through the Agricultural Adaptation Council's CanAdvance Program and the AAFC
Pest Management Centre, OMAFRA, the Ontario Soybean Growers and the Ontario Soybean
Rust Coalition.
