Powdery Mildew and Botrytis Models
NIAB EMR is at the forefront of developing disease and pest forecasting models for a range of crops including strawberry, apple and roses.
Integrated
Disease models fully incorporated into the PIP system
Accurate
Provides highly accurate forecasts of diseases in tunnels
Control
Enables growers to rationalise their management inputs to control diseases
Forecasts
The system incorporates weather forecasts to predict future disease development
These models are fully compatible with the Precision Irrigation Package software system, are evaluated and developed for commercial application where the disease warning outputs are based on the integration of weather forecasting and other practical concerns of growers such as nutritional sprays, holidays, etc.
Commercial trials using an integrated system with forecasting model on strawberry of outdoor crops has reduced the use of fungicides to control botrytis by 50%.
The future
NIAB EMR is working on a number of future pest and disease models which will uniquely be incorporated within the PIP system. These include models for:
- Capsids – model currently being validated
- Thrips
- Mucor and Rhizopus – important pre and post-harvest fruit rots of strawberry
Capsids
Thrips
Mucor and Rhizopus