Principal Investigator Lydia Bourouiba
Plant diseases are a leading cause of crop loss worldwide and are known to be triggered by rainfalls. The interaction between raindrop impact, foliage compliance, and pathogens remain a black box. The common assumption from phytopathology for such link is that a splash is generated upon impact of raindrops on contaminated liquid films coating sick leaves. Relying on fluid dynamics processes, fluid-structure interactions and interfacial flows, our group focuses on elucidating the mechanisms of disease spread in the field from plant to plant via the lens of interfacial fluid dynamics. Key words: rainfall, dr