Achievement

The spread of agricultural diseases by airborne plant pathogens causes substantial economic damage. One such fungal pathogen is Fusarium graminearum, which infects crops such as corn and wheat. The release of F. graminaerum spores into the atmosphere from infected plants is a poorly understood process involving many environmental and biological factors that produces some of the largest accelerations observed in nature. A team of MultiSTEPS trainees with expertise in aerobiology, experimental mechanics, and computational simulation has formulated an interdisciplinary solution approach for addressing this problem. High-speed Particle Image Velocimetry experiments have been conducted to quantify the release of F. graminaerum spores. From this data, a multi-scale model is being developed to describe the spore release process. The subsequent transport of spores through the atmosphere is also being simulated using wind velocity data and known locations of F. graminaerum outbreaks.