Using capillary forces, to estimate the adhesion, strength of Magnaporthe grisea, spores on glass

The Magnaporthe grisea is a fungus:whose spores strongly adhere to plant le aves, and to solid surfaces in general. In this note, we give an estimate o f the adhesion force, F-det, of a spore on a glass surface, in water. Fd,, is defined as the force to be applied to a spore to pull it out from the su rface. In our experiments, spores are detached from the glass in a few mill iseconds by means of a capillary force. The latter is provided by a water/a ir or a water/oil interface, in contact with the spore body. We thus find F -det of the order of 10(-6) N. (C) 2001 Academie des sciences/Editions scie ntifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.