Using a spore trap to effectively monitor northern corn leaf blight.

Northern corn leaf blight is a common disease in corn, caused by Exserohilum turcicum. It damages leaf sheaths and husk leaves, typically starting from the lower leaves and gradually spreading upward. In severe cases, it can affect the entire plant, though there are instances where it begins on the middle or upper leaves.

Therefore, in the process of corn cultivation, monitoring and early warning of northern corn leaf blight are urgently needed. With the strong support from the state for high-standard farmland, many IoT devices have been put into use, making monitoring and early warning more intelligent. Among these, the spore trap is primarily developed to address plant diseases.

So how does the spore trap monitor northern corn leaf blight? This starts with the working principle of the spore trap. During the corn growing season, overwintering pathogens produce spores, which are dispersed into the air by airflow. These fungal spores are extremely tiny, lightweight, and difficult to observe with the naked eye.

The spore trap effectively captures these minute fungal spores. It employs aerodynamic principles, using a fan to collect spores that are hard to see with the naked eye. Once captured, the spores are adsorbed onto a slide belt. An internal camera and high-powered microscope then photograph the captured spores and upload the images to an IoT platform. The spore images are clear and visible, and the system can perform automatic statistical analysis. This allows staff to monitor the situation of fungal spores causing northern corn leaf blight anytime and anywhere.

The deployment of spore traps greatly facilitates plant protection personnel in monitoring and early warning of northern corn leaf blight. It enables timely preventive measures, improves control effectiveness, and ensures increased yield and production for plants.