Prevalence of airborne fungal spores in two potato warehouses with different storage conditions

This study constitutes an approach to detecting fungal spores present inside potato warehouses and the influence of the environmental conditions on the prevalence of the different types of fungi. The most common spores wereCladosporium andAspergillus/Penicillium representing more than 94% of the identified spores of fungi. However, some potential fungal potato pathogens such asAlternaria,Helminthosporium,Fusarium andPhytophthora were also detected. In the warehouse without control of the storage conditions, the most represented fungal spores were fromCladosporium followed byAspergillus/Penicillium, Helminthosporium andAlternaria whereas during storage with cooling conditions, the most abundant wereAspergillus/Penicillium,Cladosporium,Fusarium,Helminthosporium andLeptosphaeria. The results showed a close relationship between the storage conditions and the levels of some identified fungi. The low representation of pathogenic fungiAlternaria andHelminthosporium stood out in the facilities with cooling systems. Monitoring of airborne elements during potato storage could be useful tool for detecting the presence of potato pathogens in the environment and taking management decisions to avoid economic losses.
Source: Aerobiologia - Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research