BlightManager is operated by the Aarhus University (AU), the Danish Agricultural Advisory Service (DAAC) and the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI). It integrates all available information about late blight control, including tools like monitoring of early attacks, weather based late blight infection pressure, general weather information and -forecast, regional blight weather and -forecast, fungicide information, cultivar database with information about late blight resistance etc. The separate DSS components are not integrated to provide specific decisions on timing and use of a specific fungicide type and dosage.

Jens Grønbech Hansen
Aarhus University, Research Centre Foulum
DK-8830 Tjele, DK
jensg.hansen@agro.au.dk

The maps shows the UK with common potato growing regions highlighted in one of three colours: green for no Hutton Criteria, amber for a near miss, and red for a full Hutton alert.

To see details for a specific location, the user click on a point near to his or her own fields and then select a start date of interest. If there isn’t a suitable location on the map, and the user like additional locations plotted, then you can email the team at blightspy@huttonltd.com.

blightspy@huttonltd.com.

With Dacom Disease Management you can view where, when and with what amount you need to apply fungicide. It determines whether present conditions favour an outbreak of disease. If this is the case, it provides you with information regarding the optimum moment to spray. It also indicates which type of fungicide to use. Dacom Disease Management is available for various crops by means of a web application and mobile applications. The advice is calculated based on your crop recording, weather forecast and weather data.

Cor Rijzebol – Senior Technical Expert

cor.rijzebol@dacom.nl

Dacom Farm Intelligence

+31883226600 – www.dacom.nl

IPI and MISP are used to forecast the appraisal and evolution of late blight infections on potato and tomato, in the Emilia-Romagna region (Servizio Fitosanitario Emilia-Romagna). Model IPI (Indice Potenziale Infettivo) and Model MISP (Main Infection and Sporulation Period). Model IPI is informative about the occurrence of the disease and advises if it is necessary (and when) to start with the first spray, based on a series of climatic parameters. It was set up in 1990 and is used together with the Model MISP, developed in Switzerland, which provides indications on the following infective events.

Riccardo Bugiani
Servizio Fitosanitario, Regione Emilia-Romagna, Via Corticella
133, I-40129 Bologna, Italy
rbugiani@regione.emilia-romagna.it

Met Éireann (Irish Meteorological Service) is issuing blight warnings guided by outputs of algorithm proposed by Bourke (1953), known as Irish Rules. Blight risk is expressed in effective blight hours which are calculated using observed weather data and ten day weather forecast (ECMWF and HILRAM models). Model outputs are used as synoptic weather forecasting guide to weather forecasted on duty. Blight warnings include information about areas affected, duration of spell, and opportunities for spraying, where possible. Warning service is operational from May to September through Met Éireann web page and android app (www.met.ie), daily radio and television broadcast, and email.

Mladen Cucak
PhD fellow
Maynooth University/TEAGASC
Tel. : +353)599183548
Mobile: +353 (0)892571521
e-mail: mladen.cucak@nuim.ie
e-mail: mladen.cucak@teagasc.ie

Mileos ® is a web-based, on-farm Decision Support System (DSS) available to potato growers to control potato late blight (LB) caused by Phytophthora infestans. It results from collaboration between ARVALIS and the French Ministry of Agriculture. The two pre-existing DSS’s (MILPV and Mildi-LIS®) have been fused, in 2009, into an optimized tool, entirely reviewed and up-dated in order to better meet national demand and help farmers to comply with EU regulations.

With Mileos® (see www.mileos.fr), the fungicide application on potato crops is optimized, triggered according a real-time LB risk assessment taking into account environmental data (climatic and disease pressure), agronomical data such as cultivar’s LB resistance and crop health practices for potato fields such as chemical input, cultivar choice and irrigation.

Dennis Gaucher
Arvalis, Institut de Végétal,
F-91720 Boigneville, France

E-mail: d.gaucher@arvalis.fr

Calculations of risk values are based on sub-models for the different steps in the disease cycle like spore production, spore release, spore survival and infection of spores. The model criteria for spore production is long humid periods and at moderate humidity sporulation is reduced. The amount of viable attached sporangia is reduced by drought, and some spores are washed off during rain. The model criteria for spore release into the air is a drop in humidity or increased radiation, but the release is inhibited by high leaf wetness. The model includes criteria for spore survival and the viability of released spores is strongly inhibited by solar radiation. The spore load is also reduced by precipitation. The criteria for infection is that leaf wetness duration has to be sufficient for the spores to germinate and infect. The risk of blight development is a function of the amount of viable released spores and the duration of leaf wetness.

The model outputs are based on the assumption that inoculum is available in the field, and is meant to provide information for optimal timing of pest management strategies.

Håvard Eikemo & Anne-Grete Roer Hjelkrem

Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)

haavard.eikemo@nibio.no

Anne-Grete.Hjelkrem@nibio.no

The VNIIFBlight system was developed in the All-Russian Research Institute of Phytopathology for the farmers and advisors, working in the potato production industry. The model identifies the image of the weather, favourable or unfavourable for the outbreaks in the LB development. Together with a 5-day weather forecast, it provides the information about the optimum time of treatments.

A simple computer program is available for potato growers in the Internet. Each treatment should be applied in accordance with the VNIIFBlight recommendations, but the repeated treatments should be applied not earlier than 7-10 (susceptible cultivars) or 11-14 (resistant cultivars) days after the previous treatment. A cultivar is considered to be susceptible or resistant if its LB resistance is < 5 or > 5 scores, respectively (using a 9-score scale).

Alexey Filippov
All-Russian Research Institute of Phytopathology,
VNIIF, Bolshie Vyazemy, Moscow region
143050, Russian Federation
alexey@vniif.rosmail.com

PhytoPRE is developed by the Research Station Reckenholz-Tänikon ART for farmers and advisors. The interactive internet DSS and LB information system provides daily actualized maps and information on late blight infected fields in Switzerland. Based on regional and local weather data and the 2-day weather forecasts of MeteoSwiss, it shows current and recent information on main infection- and sporulation periods (MISPs). Spraying recommendations are provided based on field specific information, the current disease situation, weather conditions (MISP), used fungicide and level of fungicide protection. The system has modules for integrated and organic potato production (Bio-PhytoPRE with a special module for the timing and acquisition of copper sprays).

Hans-Rudolf Forrer/ Tomke Musa
Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station ARTART
Reckenholzstrasse 191 CH-8046 Zürich Switzerland
tomke.musa@art.admin.ch
hans-rudolf.forrer@art.admin.ch

PROPLANT is developed and marketed by ProPlant GmbH for farmers and advisors. The Expert Classic system is installed with a CD-ROM on the PC and supplies specific field information about the optimum time to spray and the type of fungicide to use. The Expert.Com system provides interactive recommendation on the internet.

Thomas Volk
Proplant GmbH Albrecht-Thaer strasse 34
D-48147 Münster Germany
expert@proplant.de

Phytophthoramodel-Weihenstephan was developed at the Münich University and is used by Syngenta to inform farmers and advisors. A nationwide network of untreated plots is used to monitor the presence of early and late blight. Information from weather stations is used to indicate blight critical weather. All this information is provided for both early and late blight. The growers and advisors can use this information to design their own spray strategy.

Hans Hausladen
Technische Universität München Lehrstuhl für Phytopathologie
D-85350 Freising-Weihenstephan Germany
h.hausladen@lrz.tu-muenchen.de

PROPHY is developed and marketed by Opticrop (now Agrovision) for farmers and advisors. Local weather stations and regional weather forecasts are used to identify critical conditions for the development of blight. The duration of protection of the crop with fungicides is calculated. The duration of protection depends on the fungicide used, the dose rate, the variety resistance, rainfastness of the fungicide, the disease pressure, and the growth of the crop. In combining weather and protection with fungicides a recommendation is calculated: a preventative spray is necessary as soon as critical conditions are expected in combination with an insufficient level of fungicide protection of the crop. The system provide a complete advice (yes/no spray, product choice and dose rate).

Erno Bouma
Agrovision BV, P.O. Box 755,
7400 AT Deventer NL
e.bouma@agrovision.nl

SIMPHYT is developed by ZEPP and provided by ISIP e. V. for farmers and advisors. SIMPHYT 1 recommends on the spray start whereas SIMPHYT 3 provides indications for the disease pressure and advises on follow-up sprays. The input data used are weather information, variety and emergence date. The model can also calculate advises for extra risky situations such as fields close to infection sources or fields with very wet conditions. A nationwide network of untreated and treated plots is used to monitor the presence of late blight. In 2010 Öko-SIMPHYT an expansion for organic potato production will be provided. The system recommends the timing and amount of copper-hydroxid follow up spays.

Benno Kleinhenz
ZEPP / ISIP eV
Rüdesheimerstrasse 60-68 D-55545 Bad Kreuznach, Germany
benno.kleinhenz@dlr.rlp.de

VigiMAP is an interactive web-based platform, available on computer and smartphone. It runs the potato late blight model developed by CARAH (agronomical research centre of Hainaut Province, Belgium). The model is fuelled by precise weather data provided by the Agromet platform (CRA-W). Users can also connect private weather stations. VigiMAP can predict if the crop needs to be sprayed preventively according to weather data (measured and forecast), potato variety and level of fungicide protection of the crop. It also helps users to choose the most adapted fungicide. The platform also provides SprayVision, a tool to choose the best period to ensure the efficacity of the fungicides. An early blight model is in beta test. The model is currently used by the farmers of Walloon region in Belgium but also in China, where it has reached a very high level of users.

Contact : Maxime Bonnave & Benjamin Couvreur

Agronomical research center of Hainaut Province (CARAH)

m.bonnave@carah.be; b.couvreur@carah.be