plants Article Early Detection of Airborne Inoculum of Nothopassalora personata in Spore Trap Samples from Peanut Fields Using Quantitative PCR Misbakhul Munir 1, Hehe Wang 1, Nicholas S. Dufault 2 and Daniel J. Anco 1,* 1 Department of Plant and Environment Science, Clemson University, Edisto Research and Education Center, Blackville, SC 29817, USA;
[email protected] (M.M.);
[email protected] (H.W.) 2 Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; nsdufault@ufl.edu * Correspondence:
[email protected] Received: 15 September 2020; Accepted: 7 October 2020; Published: 9 October 2020 Abstract: A quantitative PCR (qPCR)-assay was developed to detect airborne inoculum of Nothopassalora personata, causal agent of late leaf spot (LLS) on peanut, collected with a modified impaction spore trap. The qPCR assay was able to consistently detect as few as 10 spores with purified DNA and 25 spores based on crude DNA extraction from rods. In 2019, two spore traps were placed in two peanut fields with a history of LLS. Sampling units were replaced every 2 to 4 days and tested with the developed qPCR assay, while plots were monitored for symptom development. The system detected inoculum 35 to 56 days before visual symptoms developed in the field, with detection related to environmental parameters affecting pathogen life-cycle and disease development. This study develops the framework of the qPCR spore trap system and represents the initial steps towards validation of the performance of the system for use as a decision support tool to complement integrated management of LLS. Keywords: specific primers; Cercosporidium personatum; spore collection; Arachis hypogaea 1.