A rain tower and wind tunnel for studying the dispersal of plant pathogens by rain and wind

Bruce D.L. Fitt, P.J. Walklate, H. A. McCartney, A. Bainbridge, N.F. Creighton, J.M. Hirst, M.E. Lacey, B.J. Legg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The rain tower/wind tunnel complex at Rothamsted consists of a rain tower (height 11 m, cross-section 1 m2) linked to the upwind end of a wind tunnel (length 12 m, cross-section 1 m2), which may be operated in either an open or a closed configuration. At the top of the rain tower, water drops with diameters of 2.5 to 5 mm are produced by a drop generator, which can be fitted with different nozzles. Simulated rain with a drop diameter of 1 to 3 mm is produced at a rate of 8 to 12 mm h-1 by a rain generator with an area of 52 × 67 cm. The rain tower may be operated in conjunction with the wind tunnel in an open configuration. The windspeed can be decreased from a maximum of 8 m s-1 by decreasing the speed of the fan. The wind tunnel has its own internal lighting. When the wind tunnel is in a closed configuration, temperature and humidity can be controlled in the range 12 oC (62–80% r.h.) to 35 oC (22–50% r.h.). Data presented illustrate the use of this rain tower/wind tunnel complex to study dispersal of plant pathogen spores by rain-splash or wind.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)661-671
Number of pages11
JournalAnnals of Applied Biology
Volume109
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 1986

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