Article taken from the Agronomist & Arable Farmer Vegetable Guide
With unpredictable weather and constant population changes, keeping disease under control remains a major challenge for all growers. That is why it is very important to use the right fungicide at the right time to get complete disease control and to maximise saleable yield and quality. Technology now allows growers to understand the disease risk in a crop on any particular day and provide guidance for which type of fungicide to use and the best time to apply.
These decision support systems are computer-based modules which provide an aid to timing of crop protection materials such as insecticides and fungicides and take into actual weather conditions. They generate risk assessments and information upon which a grower can act. They can improve crop protection and minimise the input of pesticides and are often described as justification tools, as each input is associated with a specific risk event. They can also help with protocol management for end markets that demand a high degree of clarity as to why a product is used.
These systems require access to a reliable source of local weather data. Remote weather stations can be placed in fields or specific crops where they can provide data for a specific area. This data coupled with a local weather forecast or a weather feed from another source can generate a forecast provided by Plantsystems for anywhere in the UK and Ireland.
The service from Plantsystems provides advice regarding the best timing for the use of fungicides and which type of fungicide to use. The system determines whether present conditions are favourable for an outbreak of disease – known as critical periods. If this is the case, the system will alert you and can subsequently determine which actions need to be taken. Using this system results in a more efficient use of product and ensures that control of quality robbing diseases is maximise.
The algorithms in the system take into account the variety, cultivation purpose, crop observation, irrigation regime and most recent spray inputs in a crop. The type of crop protection used, dosage and timing of the application determines if there is crop protection activity still present. The combination of protection of the leaves and the measured and/or predicted critical periods are the basis for the control programme for diseases and pests in crops.
The models utilise:
The risk assessment is generated by combining all of the above with the local weather conditions from a representative weather station, which can be one of Plantsystems’ network of weather stations, and the five-day local weather forecast. This allows the systems to be proactive as well as reactive to infection conditions and a rational approach can be taken in the selection and application of protective and curative products, giving growers the best possible opportunity for maximising disease control. The information is then processed to generate an advice graph and table for the current disease pressure and the risk for the next five days. The pressure is based on a threshold scale. Plantsystems’ Daily Forecast Xtra has been designed to deliver essential information on the weather forecast, spray windows and disease risk directly to the grower by email.
Forecast Xtra allows the grower to:
With unpredictable weather and constant population changes, keeping disease under control remains a major challenge for all growers. That is why it is very important to use the right fungicide at the right time to get complete disease control and to maximise saleable yield and quality. Technology now allows growers to understand the disease risk in a crop on any particular day and provide guidance for which type of fungicide to use and the best time to apply.
These decision support systems are computer-based modules which provide an aid to timing of crop protection materials such as insecticides and fungicides and take into actual weather conditions. They generate risk assessments and information upon which a grower can act. They can improve crop protection and minimise the input of pesticides and are often described as justification tools, as each input is associated with a specific risk event. They can also help with protocol management for end markets that demand a high degree of clarity as to why a product is used.
These systems require access to a reliable source of local weather data. Remote weather stations can be placed in fields or specific crops where they can provide data for a specific area. This data coupled with a local weather forecast or a weather feed from another source can generate a forecast provided by Plantsystems for anywhere in the UK and Ireland.
The service from Plantsystems provides advice regarding the best timing for the use of fungicides and which type of fungicide to use. The system determines whether present conditions are favourable for an outbreak of disease – known as critical periods. If this is the case, the system will alert you and can subsequently determine which actions need to be taken. Using this system results in a more efficient use of product and ensures that control of quality robbing diseases is maximise.
The algorithms in the system take into account the variety, cultivation purpose, crop observation, irrigation regime and most recent spray inputs in a crop. The type of crop protection used, dosage and timing of the application determines if there is crop protection activity still present. The combination of protection of the leaves and the measured and/or predicted critical periods are the basis for the control programme for diseases and pests in crops.
The models utilise:
Field location and characteristics
Crop growth and development
Variety susceptibility
Local infection sources
Fungicide degradation
Know biology and activity of the organism
The risk assessment is generated by combining all of the above with the local weather conditions from a representative weather station, which can be one of Plantsystems’ network of weather stations, and the five-day local weather forecast. This allows the systems to be proactive as well as reactive to infection conditions and a rational approach can be taken in the selection and application of protective and curative products, giving growers the best possible opportunity for maximising disease control. The information is then processed to generate an advice graph and table for the current disease pressure and the risk for the next five days. The pressure is based on a threshold scale. Plantsystems’ Daily Forecast Xtra has been designed to deliver essential information on the weather forecast, spray windows and disease risk directly to the grower by email.
Forecast Xtra allows the grower to:
Select the most appropriate type of treatment and apply at the best time
Minimise the use of agrochemicals and obtain cost-effective crop production
Plan operations depending on conditions
Increase the crop yield, storability and marketability through improved crop protection
Justify inputs in accordance with crop assurance requirements.