The Web-based forecasting system, combining the weather
expertise of climatologist Paul Knight and the Web-mapping
technology from the Center for Environmental Informatics, incorporates
data from the National Weather Service, including
temperature, humidity, and rainfall. Growers provide information on their crops, such as whether they have winter or spring
wheat, expected flowering date, and production practices. The
forecasting system then assesses disease risk according to the
grower’s location.
“Fusarium head blight can lead to yield losses of 50 percent
in many areas,” De Wolf says. “This disease clearly has a major
economic impact. The goal of our forecasting efforts is to predict
when and where disease outbreaks will occur and give that information
to growers so they have time to factor the risk into their
management practices. The other side, of course, is to tell growers
when a fungicide isn’t necessary. In most cases that’s the most important
use of forecasting. Use chemicals when you need to, but
if you don’t need to, save money and be more efficient.”
Plant pathologist Erick De Wolf was part of the team that developed the Soybean Rust Information System Web site. He also helped create the Fusarium head Blight Prediction Center, an online forecasting system that helps wheat and barley growers assess the risk of head scab in their crops. |
Faculty and staff referenced in this article are Dennis Calvin,
professor of entomology and associate director of Penn State
Cooperative Extension; Erick De Wolf, assistant professor of plant
pathology; Shelby Fleischer, professor of entomology; and Scott
Isard, professor of aerobiology.
Interactive cartography computer interfaces were developed
by Doug Miller, associate professor of geography and director
of the Center for Environmental Informatics; Steve Crawford,
programmer/designer for geospatial data processing and display; and
Jon Voortman, GIS specialist/Web programmer, all in the College of
Earth and Mineral Sciences.
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Winter/Spring 2007 Issue