Why do plants increase disease after rain?

Farmers have long recognized the correlation between storms and storms with outbreaks of crops. Researchers are now clear about why: rain drops are the culprit.

The parasitic fungi of Uredinale, which often cause reddish brown spots on stems and leaves, can develop especially rampant after rains, eating wheat leaves and potentially destroying the harvest season. In a new study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface , a team of experts from the Institute of Technology Massachusttes (USA) and Liege University (Belgium) published high-speed images of raindrops splattered on the leaves with coating of contaminated liquid.

The video revealed, raindrops could act as dispersal agents , and in some cases splashing contaminated droplets away from their source - leaves.

The team observed characteristic dispersion patterns and discovered that the dispersion range depends on the mechanical characteristics of the plant, especially their flexibility.

To draw conclusions, the team conducted experiments with dozens of popular foliage types, including ivy leaves, bamboo leaves, mint leaves and banana leaves.

They then record the sequence of what happens when raindrops fall on each leaf type, using high-speed cinematography 1,000 frames per second.

From what was obtained, the team found that the leaves could not support a thin film, but instead formed droplets on their surfaces. The pathogens thus reside in water droplets, not the thin film on the leaf surface.

MIT researcher Lydia Bourouiba explains: "A tree can act as a shield and become infected with pathogens. However, its mechanical properties won't be enough to splash germs into. The tree next to it, and the rain drops helped it do it. "

According to the research team, their discovery may change the way crops are grown to prevent more diseases for crops.