Wind Dispersal Ability of Phytopathogenic Fusarium and Alternaria in a Wind Tunnel Experiment

Dispersal processes play an essential role in cereal diseases caused by phytopathogenic Fusarium and Alternaria. However, most empirical studies of Fusarium spore dispersal have focused on vertical transport by rain splash, while wind dispersal has been mostly neglected. Our objective was to determine the ability of Fusarium and Alternaria spores to disperse via wind under controlled conditions in a wind tunnel study. Thirteen Fusarium and three Alternaria species with diverse spore varieties were studied by placing them in the wind stream at wind velocities of 5 and 8 m s-1 and collecting them after 6 m and a period of 1 h using a newly developed air sampling box.