Aerobiology, where are we and where are we going?: a Plant Pathologist's view

Aerobiology has a long history, dating back to the late nineteenth century when the importance of micro-organisms in the cause of disease was recognised. It has long been accepted that many important plant diseases are spread by airborne micro-organisms such as fungal spores and bacteria. The understanding and prediction of the development of disease in crops depends to a great extent on our knowledge of the processes that affect the movement of plant pathogen inoculum through the air. This paper will consider the current state of aerobiology, particularly as related to plant disease epidemiology, and how it could develop over the next decade. For example, the development of exciting new technologies for detecting and monitoring airborne micro-organisms combined with modelling of pathogen dispersal and disease development have great potential to improve disease forecasting and disease control strategies. The impact of these developments on other areas of aerobiology will also be considered.