Agrometeorology and plant disease management: a happy marriage

Many plant disease outbreaks are triggered by suitably warm temperatures during periods of leaf wetness. Measurements or estimations of leaf wetness duration provided by Agrometeorologists have allowed Plant Pathologists to devise weather timed spray schemes which often reduce the number of sprays required to control plant diseases, thus lowering costs and benefitting the environment. In the near future, tools such as numerical weather models with small grid spacings, and improved weather radar, are expected to reduce the need for tight networks of surface observations. The weather models will also provide growers with forecast warnings of potential upcoming disease outbreaks, which will further enhance the contribution of agrometeorology to plant disease management.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gillespie,Terry James, Sentelhas,Paulo Cesar
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" 2008
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-90162008000700012
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!