The Powdery Mildew Survey – a citizen science scheme for increasing the efficiency of identification of a harmful, fungal plant disease
O. ELLINGHAM (1), J. David (2) (1) University of Reading, United Kingdom; (2) Royal Horticultural Scoiety, United Kingdom

The powdery mildews (Ascomycota, Erysiphales) are a group of obligate biotrophic Fungi found on nearly 10,000 angiosperm plant hosts globally, many of which are important horticultural and agricultural plants. Infection can reduce attractiveness and yields significantly. A reliable method is required for unambiguous identification of these often cryptic species such that spread to new areas and/or new hosts can be detected rapidly and controlled early. A citizen science scheme was launched in 2014 to assess the presence of the 876 global powdery mildew species in the UK and the efficacy of techniques currently used for their identification­ – host identification, fungal morphological analysis, sequencing of the fungal rDNA ITS region. The survey was promoted via an array of online and printed media and over 500 infected plant samples were received – most were powdery mildews. Of these 94% were identified to genus level and 79% to species level. This shows the scope for improvements to these techniques through analysis of supplementary DNA regions. 90 different powdery mildew species were found over the 2-year period; 60% of the 150 species previously recorded in the UK. During the survey period two new hosts were found for species known to occur in the UK. These data provide the most comprehensive survey of powdery mildew species within the UK. This knowledge is critical for early detection of newly arrived species of powdery mildew and of host shifts or novel hosts.

Abstract Number: C19-4, P3-84
Session Type: Concurrent