Saving Crops and Money
A phone call to NDSU's Wheat Disease Forecasting System helped save Alan Lee's crop.
"The information the system provided got us out spraying before it may have been too late,"
says the Berthold-area farmer.
By using the Web or making a phone call, farmers and crop consultants can
determine whether spraying for Fusarium head blight (scab), tan spot, stagonospora leaf blotch or wheat
leaf rust is warranted.
A computer model uses data from the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network
(NDAWN),
a network of 36 sites in North Dakota and western Minnesota, to determine whether the
previous 24-hour period was suitable for infection. In addition, machines near selected NDAWN sites
collect fungal spores from the air. Samples are collected three times a week and examined for signs
of scab. The potential for scab is based on the number of spores and suitability of the weather.
"The forecasting system can save farmers money if spraying isn't necessary, or save a crop
if disease problems are imminent," according to Len Francl, the plant pathologist who developed
the system.
Over a five-year period, Francl found that producers who had a disease management
strategy earned $11.60 per acre more than those who did not. Those using the system earned $2.11
more per acre than those who always applied a fungicide.
A tool for the fight against scab is particularly important. A recent study by NDSU
agricultural economists revealed that N.D. farmers lost $356 million to the disease between 1998 and
2000. For every $1 of scab losses, other areas of rural and state economies lose $2.
The disease forecast can be accessed at www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/cropdisease/ or by calling
1-888-248-7357. "Often I'm out on the tractor and use my cell phone to check the system,"
Lee says. "I know a lot of farmers in the area who are starting to do the same thing. I think
usage will just continue to grow."
Lee became interested in a station at Berthold about five years ago after visiting with John
Enz, the state climatologist at NDSU who coordinates the NDAWN system. "I thought if we had a
station in the Berthold area it would be a real advantage for local farmers," Lee says.
Lee and others pitched the idea to various groups including the local elevator board of
directors and the Berthold Development Corporation. "It's not really economic development but
it does have something to do with the economics of the community, so they helped pay for
the system," Lee said.
It paid off for Lee this year. "We had been extremely dry and felt we would probably
escape any infection this year. I left for Minneapolis but did have my sprayer ready just in case. A
friend who also monitors the system called to report that the numbers were going way up so we decided
it was time to spray."
Francl and a doctoral student started developing the disease forecasting system in 1992.
"In the case of tan spot and stagonospora blotch, infection periods are modeled by a form of
artificial intelligence called neural networks. We have been collecting infection data and matching
weather patterns here at NDSU since 1993, and our accuracy rate is 85 to 90 percent."
"The disease forecasting system is an important part of NDSU's effort to control crop
diseases," says plant pathologist Marcia McMullen. "Researchers develop new varieties that are resistant
to disease. They study crop rotations and other management techniques. They cooperate
with colleagues across the region to find ways to improve disease control with fungicides. They also
look at food safety concerns, analyzing toxins produced by scab to understand impacts on the
food supply."
"Researchers, extension specialists and staff at the research extension centers are all
working together because no single tool is going to solve the disease problem," McMullen says.
For more information: Marcia McMullen, 701-231-7627, marcia.mcmullen@ndsu.nodak.edu
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