DELIVERY OF SITE-SPECIFIC WEATHER SERVICES TO AGRICULTURAL CLIENTS Dr. Ron Pitblado

WEATHER INNOVATIONS INCORPORATED

PERSPECTIVES REGIONAL vs. SITE-SPECIFIC - SKYBIT – failed in Canada – not specific enough - REGIONAL MAPS – failed as a grower’s tool but used by extension and government ACE – Manitoba Growth Stage – Alberta Weatherbug - Canada Wheat Board

STAGE OF CEREAL DEVELOPMENT

Fusarium Head Blight

DISEASE CONTROL STRATEGIES 1. Reduce initial inoculum - when to start 2. Reduce the build up of disease - how often and when to apply subsequent fungicide applications

SENSORS

Compact Unit. Modem Data Retrieval or Manual. Capable of logging entire growing season.

TOMcast - ESSEX

Client supplies WIN with their field locations. WIN creates a unique data-file to create a custom and secure web-page. WIN gives a user ID and a Password. Client logs into WIN site and is presented with several new features.

The Seed Ontario Canada - Spring 2000 –The provincial agricultural ministry decides to reorganize –When government decided to just “train the trainers”…. –they quit providing direct IPM advisories to growers, –and they hoped private businesses would fill the consulting gaps Ridgetown College, University of Guelph –Researchers recognize the challenges delivering IPM programs to growers –Decide to develop a cost recovery system to serve agriculture –Study IPM programs in other regions and countries

The Germination The Informal Study Concluded… –Too much university research is never delivered to the farm community. –Governments in many places are providing less direct support for advisory services. –Rapid growth in many technologies becomes difficult for individual consultants to manage. –Weather model businesses are not easy to operate

The Emergence The project started very small and survived on trust and the encouragement of a few researchers! –Dr. Ron Pitblado, the author of several fungicide timing models was one of the foundation researchers. –Many researchers helped, including Dr. Terry Gillespie and Dr. Paulo Sentelhas who were working at the Guelph campus.

Early Growth First Leaf - TOMcast –It had been delivered by the government and was one of the victims of the cutting of the government extension services. So we took over from the government and then improved the delivery of the model to growers. –This model works well for us because we continue to make the original leaf wetness sensors that were used when the model was developed

Early Growth First Leaf - TOMcast Second Leaf- BEETcast –BEETcast is a fungicide timing model for the proper spray timing to reduce the damage from Cercospora Leaf spot on sugar beets. The model helps growers protect the crop before visual damage can be observed on the plant canopy. Prevention leads to higher returns for the grower. Each year we add new features to the delivery service. –BEETcast is another of Ron’s models

Cercospora Leaf Spot

Early Growth First Leaf - TOMcast Second Leaf- BEETcast Third Leaf - DONcast –DONcast predicts what the DON toxin level will be in wheat at harvest time. The prediction is made just after heading time so an assessment of the need for protective fungicides can be made early enough to take action. DONcast has been run in several countries.

Days Relative to Wheat Head Emergence (Zadoks 59) Rain, Tmin Rain, Tave, Tmax, RH Rain, Tave, RH TmaxRain Heading Harvest +/- Anthesis Soft Dough DONcast v2005 Critical Periods of Wx ~ from Heading to Harvest ~

Early Growth First Leaf - TOMcast Second Leaf- BEETcast Third Leaf - DONcast Fourth Leaf - Ontario Crop Insurance –The crop insurance agency wanted to insure forage crops based on precipitation (the biggest influence) rather than yield (which is hard to measure in forage crops). –WIN got the contract to install 350 recording rainfall stations and gather the data. (we also built our own rain gauges for this project)

Early Growth First Leaf - TOMcast Second Leaf- BEETcast Third Leaf - DONcast Fourth Leaf - Ontario Crop Insurance Fifth Leaf - Grape programs –The Ontario Grape Growers association owned a small network of stations but did not understand how to add value to a weather program. They were struggling and they decided to give us the network if we would help get some commercial value from these weather stations –We now offer a variety of programs for these growers.

Ice on Vineyard Equipment

Early Growth First Leaf - TOMcast Second Leaf- BEETcast Third Leaf - DONcast Fourth Leaf - Ontario Crop Insurance Fifth Leaf - Grape programs Sixth Leaf- Apple models – 2003 –We have adapted a suite of models for apple production and have done enough collaborative research to adapt the service to the needs of Ontario growers. The commercial interest is now starting to grow quickly.

Apple

Early Growth First Leaf - TOMcast Second Leaf- BEETcast Third Leaf - DONcast Fourth Leaf - Ontario Crop Insurance Fifth Leaf - Grape programs Sixth Leaf- Apple models Seventh Leaf - Corn Flea Beetle –We launched into the forecasting of an over wintering insect. –We now can provide advisory information on many insects

Mosquito Traps Drain Can weather station data predict the outbreaks of mosquitoes and warn against the West Nile Virus ?

Early Growth First Leaf - TOMcast Second Leaf- BEETcast Third Leaf - DONcast Fourth Leaf - Ontario Crop Insurance Fifth Leaf - Grape programs Sixth Leaf- Apple models Seventh Leaf - Corn Flea Beetle Eighth leaf - Saskatchewan CIC –Saskatchewan Crop Insurance hired WIN to run the provincial monitoring for insurance programs. –In year 2006 they doubled our contract

Flowering 2006 The program outgrows the university mandate and is purchased from the university. The principals are… –Ian – business and marketing –Rob – systems and computing, operations –Ron – pathology, entomology, agronomy We move the staff out of the university facility

Locations, Staff, Facilities Chatham Ontario central office employees Operation Centers home office employees Ontario and Saskatchewan Contract staff 15 – 20 casual employees Manitoba and Ontario Researchers and collaborators –Frequently engaged in WIN’s work

10 cm 30 cm 50 cm Tomatoes Surface Drip Tape

TriSCAN HOW TO FOLLOW YOUR FERTILIZER APPLIATIONS

SPUDcast

SPUDcast MODEL A -TIMED INTERVAL SPRAYING - choose the high fungicide labelled rates - spray according to the accumulative SPUD values SPRAY Recommendation SPRAY Recommendation Initial Spray Application150 SPUD values Subsequent Sprays50 SPUD values MODEL B - DYNAMIC DOSAGE MODEL - using a protectant fungicide program use the lower recommended rates under the LOW RISK criteria based on the weather conditions during the past 7-days. Use the higher recommended fungicide rate under a MODERATE RISK criteria or choose a late blight targeted fungicide under a HIGH RISK of late blight criteria.

CUKEcast

SPRAYcast ADVISORY

Fusarium Pink Ear Rot

Pollination WIN now has a good core of contract accounts and an even larger number of models and programs in development.

COLLABORATION PUBLIC - PRIVATE DONcast –science based discoveries –WIN can put them together and deliver a product Government Delivery Systems – publically funded –Will exclude private initiatives – can’t compete with a free service –Inadvertently the government delivery systems will slow down the implementation of IPM programs

PERSPECTIVES Weather Networks – governments to offer weather information – basic right Territorial issues – extension staff Research Support – Funding only the science component – no funds for initial implementation National Research Programs – private companies “do not apply” Growers group –waiting for government support