Presence in the atmosphere vine and and tomato pathogens

In nature fungi, together with oomycota and bacteria, play an important role in the degradation of organic substances. A small group of fungi is responsible for mycosis in man and animals. A larger group made up of different fungal taxa are particularly harmful to crops. The study of agricultural fungal phytopathologies is more difficult in that many taxa are characterized by a high degree of nutritional specialization. The identification in the field of the diseases caused by these taxa takes place often too late and not always are they controllable at a specific stage of their evolution. Since the majority of fungal spores is airborne and consequently present in various concentrations at different altitudes in the atmosphere, it is possible to monitor them and sometimes identify the fungus by sampling the air with a volumetric spore trap. Its diagnostic use has allowed to sample Plasmopara sporangia and obtain their concentration/m 3 in the air of a vineyard. Similar results have been obtained in tomato fields, with the identification of Phytophthora sporangia, the presence of which has been correlated to the meteorological data of the trial period. Field monitoring also offers the possibility of evaluating the presence of fungi such as the genera Botrytis, Oidium, Alternaria, Pyricularia, Fusarium and Stemphylium which damage crops.