The 2008 BEETcast program is now complete.
Thank you for a great season.
Developed by Dr. R.E. Pitblado, formerly of University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus and now WIN’s Research Manager, BEETcast is a disease-warning model which establishes a timed fungicide spraying program for Cercospora on Sugarbeets. BEETcast is based upon weather data, specifically leaf wetness and temperature. Disease control is obtained from the accumulation of daily Disease Severity Values (DSVs) which results in a recommendation for fungicide applications.
The BEETcast program publishes 7 days a week and can also be delivered as customer specific DSV values according to each subscriber’s unique field locations. A summarized wrap up report including a summarized DSV log representing your fields from the concluding season will be made available to all those clients that have purchased the site specific service; a great way to archive records.
How it Works
BEETcast rates each day on a scale of 0 to 4 where a value of 4 indicates weather conditions favourable for disease development. A 0 indicates less favourable conditions where either the number of hours the leaves were wet was low or the temperature was too cool for the leafspot disease to develop. These daily disease severity values (DSVs) are accumulated until a threshhold is reached indicating a spray application is appropriate. You then zero your counter and apply additional sprays based on the next interval of cumulative DSVs (see spray timing chart).
The BEETcast program ensures that you get the most out of the dollars you spend on disease control by suggesting the most effective timing of fungicide applications for Cercospora leaf spot. Critical information is provided by WIN in a timely manner over the internet. This information can be used immediately by growers to make informed decisions. Growers can tailor-make their spray program based on any level of risk management they are comfortable with.
A typical fungicide spray program for the control of Cercospora leafspot is based on:
- Level of cultivar or varietal genetic resistance - talk to your fieldman
- Disease pressure based on crop rotation or proximity to other sugarbeet fields
- Choice of fungicides available- relative effectiveness of the products used
- Spray coverage - application techniques
- Level of disease control desired - a personal decision
- Favorable weather conditions that promote leafspot disease
WIN can help indicate the critical spray dates based on "favourable weather conditions," through its extensive weather station network, but only the grower can determine the other factors.
BEETcast helps but GROWERS make the decisions
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