'Sneezing' plants: pathogen transport via jumping-droplet condensation.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31213172.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1098/rsif.2019.0243 and PMC identifier 6597768.
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Abstract
We show that condensation growing on wheat leaves infected with the leaf rust fungus, Puccinia triticina, is capable of spontaneously launching urediniospores off the plant. This surprising liberation mechanism is enabled by the superhydrophobicity of wheat leaves, which promotes a jumping-droplet mode of condensation powered by the surface energy released from coalescence events. We found that urediniospores often adhere to the self-propelled condensate, resulting in liberation rates of approximately 10 cm<sup>-2</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> for leaves infected with rust. Urediniospores were catapulted up to 5 mm from the leaf's surface, a distance sufficient to clear the laminar boundary layer for subsequent dispersal even in gentle winds.
Medical subject headings
- Basidiomycota
- Host-Pathogen Interactions
- Plant Diseases
- Plant Leaves
- Spores, Fungal
- Triticum