Development of a biosensor for selective detection of phytopathogenic pythiums

We propose a method for determining whether an aqueous solution contains a phytopathogenic pythium. In this study, we developed an artificial membrane composed of cellulose film, with a polyethylene terephthalate film, containing a random plurality of through holes, serving as the substrate under the cellulose film. Phytopathogenic and non-phytopathogenic pythium in aqueous solution were supplied to the artificial membrane and left to rest for 24 h. When cellulose solutions with concentrations of 0.5∼3% were used to form the artificial membrane into which phytopathogenic pythiums penetrate and incubation time is 8–12 h, phytopathogenic pythiums appear selectively on the back surface of the cellulose film (i.e., the outside of the container) selectively. These results suggest that the artificial membrane could be a useful tool for detecting phytopathogenicity selectively from a mixture of two kinds of pythiums, namely phytopathogenic and nonphytopathogenic pythiums. We propose that this method of detecting phytopathogenic pythium can be applied to monitoring plant diseases in the agricultural industry.