Introducing an interactive Internet based forecasting system for light leaf spot of winter oilseed rape in the UK
2000
Evans, N. (Institute of Arable Crop Research, Harpenden (Royaume Uni)) | Antoniw, J. | Fitt, B.D.L. | Gladders, P. | Welham, S.J.
Light leaf spot (Pyrenopeziza brassicae) is a serious disease of winter oilseed rape crops in the UK. Wind blown ascospores from crop debris of the previous season are thought to initiate infection in newly sown crops. Fungicide trial data suggests that the most effective time for the control of light leaf spot is an autumn spray. However, in autumn, the pathogen enters a hemibiotrophic phase during which infections are not readily visible and detection of the disease can be problematic. Localised spread in the spring occurs through splash-dispersed conidia. Assessment data from regions of the UK were used to produce a model to predict the risk of light leaf spot in specific regions of the UK. The forecast is based on crop and weather factors. At the start of the season, a prediction is made for each region using the average weather conditions expected for that region. This forecast is then updated periodically to take account of deviations in actual weather away from the expected values. Three factors form the basis of the model: amount of pod disease the previous summer, autumn temperatures and the number of winter rain days above the regional average. The model, which is available to growers over the Internet, is currently in a third year of evaluation. The recent addition of active server page technology has allowed the forecast to become interactive. Growers can input three pieces of information (cultivar choice, sowing date and autumn fungicide application information) which are taken into account by the model to produce a risk assessment that is more crop-specific
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