A smartphone-integrated rapid and sensitive lateral flow test strip for quantitative detection of Fusarium spp. in maize samples

In the world, maize is considered as one of the most valuable resources. Fusarium spp. are the primary soilborne plant-pathogenic fungi that can infect maize seeds and cause diseases that potentially decrease the production of crops. This study aims to develop a rapid and sensitive lateral flow test strip (LFTS) utilizing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for on-site detection of Fusarium spp. in maize samples. The smartphone-integrated LFTS enables the identification of Fusarium spp. within a concentration range of 0.2–1.5 nM and achieves a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 0.063 nM. The quantitative determination of the Fusarium spp. can be completed within 8 min. Maize samples were analyzed using both the LFTS and real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR). The LFTS demonstrated effective recovery in spiked samples, with values ranging from 80.1% to 101.1%. Furthermore, the real-time PCR results exhibited significant agreement with the LFTS results. Compared to the traditional real-time PCR technique, the proposed LFTS offers a sensitive, accurate, and rapid assay for the on-site detection of Fusarium spp. in maize samples.