Species Richness, rRNA Gene Abundance, and Seasonal Dynamics of Airborne Plant-Pathogenic Oomycetes

Oomycetes, also named Peronosporomycetes, are one of the most important and widespread groups of plant pathogens, leading to significant losses in the global agricultural productivity. They have been studied extensively in ground water, soil, and host plants, but their atmospheric transport vector is not well characterized. In this study, the occurrence of airborne Oomycetes was investigated by Sanger sequencing and quantitative PCR of coarse and fine aerosol particle samples (57 filter pairs) collected over a 1-year period (2006–2007) and full seasonal cycle in Mainz, Germany. In coarse particulate matter, we found 55 different hypothetical species (OTUs), of which 54 were plant pathogens …

Corrigendum: Species Richness, rRNA Gene Abundance, and Seasonal Dynamics of Airborne Plant-Pathogenic Oomycetes