Splash down: High-speed images capture patterns by which raindrops spread pathogens among plants
Tuesday, February 3, 2015 - 21:30
in Biology & Nature
Farmers have long noted a correlation between rainstorms and disease outbreaks among plants. Fungal parasites known as "rust" can grow particularly rampant following rain events, eating away at the leaves of wheat and potentially depleting crop harvests. While historical weather records suggest that rainfall may scatter rust and other pathogens throughout a plant population, the mechanism by which this occurs has not been explored, until now.