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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

A plant’s sneeze spreads disease

Some plants send dewdrops hurtling off their leaves — and pathogens tag along.
Closeup of wheat crops covered in water droplets

Wheat leaves (pictured) are so water-repellent that they can launch pathogen-laden dewdrops into the air. Credit: Aaron Riemer/EyeEm/Getty

Just as the common cold can spread through a cough, plant diseases can spread through pathogen-packed droplets that jump off leaves — a plant’s version of a sneeze.

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Nature 570, 419 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01943-8

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