b'Why is seed testing important in the fightWhat role does the Spornado play?against fusarium? Spornado is a passive spore catcher. It traps Testing will provide necessary and reliableairborne spores through a funnel with a information to make the right decision.filter attached. The filter is sent to the lab Seed testing will help determine the pres- where we use DNA testing to return results Samiya Fatima ence of the pathogen.within 24 hours. This provides real-time Plant Disease Diagnostician,information to tell you if fusarium spores 20/20 Seed Labs What tests exist to detect it? were detected in your field. You can use Samiya has a bachelorsTwo tests exist: a plate and DNA test. Thethis information to decide whether to use a degree in biotechnology andplate test is a five-day test and gives a per- foliar fungicide or not.has been working at 20/20 forcentage of F. graminearum found in each seven years. She believes thatsample to 0.5%. It is an excellent follow-agriculture is one of the mostup for the fusarium DNA test, a three-day important industries in the worldtest. It detects the presence of the DNA of and every day she can helpF. graminearum in a sample but does not make the world a better placeprovide a quantitative result. DONT BE AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT through her work in seed testing. Is testing for the presence of fusariumIT AND COME UP WITH A PLAN THAT enough?POLLS No. The original test method for F. gra- WORKS FOR YOU. PEOPLE OFTEN Some insights gleaned during ourminearum is the plate culture method.THINK IT MEANS YOURE A BAD Although this test can still be used to recent Retail Roundtable webinar! determine the percentage of infection inFARMER. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO affected grain, it cannot detect low levels Have you ever had a problem withof the pathogen or surface infections, bothWITH THAT.fusarium?of which are serious threats to your farm.Trent Whiting25% What is the fusarium DNA test?Otherwise known as a fusarium molecular diagnostic, the DNA test is a highly sensi-75% tive, highly accurate test for the presence of F. graminearum at extremely low levels.Does Spornado provide specific levels of The DNA-based detection method is manyspore presence, or simply tell you if spores times more sensitive than the conventionalare detected?Yes No plate method, so the chances of a misdiag- The latter. We are working on data corre-nosis or false-negative are reduced signifi- lating information with potential levels of Would you say a stigma existscantly. The DNA test offers: infection in a field. The level of risk does surrounding fusarium?Greater sensitivity through recogni- go up if more spores are floating around tion of DNA in fragments of mycelium orin the air. Based on what Spornado finds, spores. that can give you an idea of your risk. It 25%Specific recognition of F. gra- could help in terms of fungicide timing. 41% minearum, distinguishing it from other fusarium species and F. pseudogra-33% minearum. Larger samples analyzed400 to 600 seeds, or two to three times theTo view our full-length webinar on the topic of fusarium,Yes No Unsure amount of the plate method. visit ow.ly/yuEm30ra3nI SUPPORTED BY: ENDORSED BY:44GERMINATION.CANOVEMBER 2020'