Spornik Spore Trapping and Monitoring
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Be certain when, where and if disease will strike your fields for less than the cost of sprayer run-down.
Built for the Prairies
The Sporenix Spore Trap is designed to harvest spores from approximately 160 acres of farm land with minimal maintenance and no power requirements. Using convection flow and a wind assist, spore laden air is drawn continuously into the filter chamber. It is ruggedly designed and able to withstand the harshest of field conditions. It can even collect samples in actively irrigated fields.
See the Invisible for Yourself
See the invisible and gain peace of mind for the season against Sclerotinia, stripe rust and Fusarium head blight. Spore monitoring is affordable for any operation, costing less per acre than the bushels lost by sprayer tire rundown. Sign up early and get early warning updates for the season.
For the 2023 season, we only have a limited number of traps available. Please be sure to sign up early to secure your subscription for the growing season. We cannot guarantee that all interested will get a trap. First come, first served. Signing up does not require payment, just an expression of your interest for the upcoming season.
Why Spore Trapping?
For disease to occur, 3 things must happen. A susceptible host, the right environmental conditions, and the presence of the disease within the field. The local microbiome not being outright suppressive is also important. Before, farmers could know the resistances of the host crop and, to a degree, the environment/ weather. With spore trapping, the disease triangle can be complete, and producers can have a perfect understanding of their disease situation.
Disease presence is the most difficult parameter to predict. Spores are invisible and can blow in from long distances or show up in discrete, random pockets within the field. Once established, they can quickly spread from a few flecks to every leaf of the field. What can be seen though only reflects a portion of the story. Changes in the microscopic spore population represent the true trajectory of the disease and happen weeks before visible signs and symptoms. It can take a few cycles of the disease spreading in the fields before it starts becoming noticeable, with spores increasing exponentially with each cycle step. Situations can also change, with changing conditions like heat waves leading to population crashes. This drama can only be seen if you can see what is happening to the spores.
Without this full view, many fungicide applications end up being mis-applied. Spore trapping gives a direct measure of disease presence, up to 3 weeks before symptoms first emerge. When disease first enters your fields, a Spornik spore trap will know.
The collected spores are analyzed via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR). QPCR gives us the confidence in recommending when not to spray, instead of just recommending a fungicide timing. Samples are collected weekly, with results given within 48 hours.
Weather can also complicate fungicide applications. Rain and mud eat away at possible days to spray and can turn a week’s window into only days of available spraying time. Spore trapping can buy you more time in challenging conditions.