A new early warning system from Agrovista for the notifiable disease fireblight will be launched officially at Fruit Focus. The service, a first in the UK market, is the latest to be added to Agrovista’s cloud-based pest and disease forecasting service for top fruit growers, Growers Choice Interactive (GCI).
Agrovista fruit agronomist Alex Radu says: “Fireblight is a potentially serious bacterial disease of apples and pears for which there is no chemical cure. Growers have to rely on preventative or antagonistic sprays, which makes accurate forecasting all the more vital.”
The fireblight software calculates the likelihood of infection on blossom and new growth based on live data collected from 40 fruit-specific weather stations across the country, as well as likely bacterial contamination and growth based on temperature and relative humidity/rainfall.
Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent, becomes a threat at 18C or above in wet conditions, says Mr Radu. “Growers who have orchards with a history of disease can assume it is there, and we can now help them forecast potential outbreaks with greater accuracy.”
This will improve timing and efficiency of preventative sprays, reduce the number required and ensure they are targeted more effectively, he concludes. The fireblight service is free of charge to GCI subscribers. The GCI package now includes primary and secondary scab, codling moth, canker and fireblight forecasts as well as accurate weather data and 10-day forecasting models.
Agrovista is also highlighting ongoing developments in its soft-fruit tunnel monitoring systems, developed by Plantsystems, designed to improve irrigation practice and disease management using telemetry and software.
Mark Davies, Agrovista’s commercial head of fruit, says: “Our tunnel monitoring system consists of a unique and innovative network of radio-linked monitoring stations with sensors that monitor critical agronomic areas related to the growth of the plant.
“These include temperature, relative humidity, irrigation, soil moisture and electrical conductivity, a measure of the levels of fertilizer. “The service is aimed mainly at substrate crops and is available on any internet-enabled device 24/7, providing accurate real-time data to track remotely what is happening within the tunnel at critical times.”
Data can be monitored and interpreted daily, weekly or monthly. Patterns can be identified to advise on the most effective moisture, temperature and fertiliser regimes.
Alerts can also be selected, to warn of overheating, so growers can take action before the tunnel exceeds critical temperatures (high or low). Humidity can also be monitored and alarmed.
The system can also be used to apply irrigation/fertigation remotely from PC or smart phone according to soil moisture status. “This helps optimise water and fertiliser use and can help improve crop quality,” says Mr Davies.
The latest in-crop sensor units provide a continuous record of data, providing full justification of irrigation and a record of how much water has been applied and when. Each tunnel-monitoring system is bespoke. Growers can choose from the basic system right through to a highly advanced automated management tool, says Mr Davies.
“The system can manage inputs continuously, freeing up growers time while producing significant yield and quality benefits.”
• Bottom bar shows leaf wetness readings in light blue and active rain as dark blue.
• Lower graph shows Erwinia population growth on the stigma after contamination.
Each black line represents a new group of flowers.
• Middle graph shows potential infection incidence calculated from flower age and level of the infecting bacterial population.
• The upper graph shows growth of Erwinia population within the plant after infection.
• Above case from orchard in mid-Europe shows weather during flowering favoured development of high Erwinia population levels on the stigma. Six wetness events caused potential infection events.
Agrovista is exhibiting on stand 300 at Fruit Focus 2015
For more information
Agrovista
Mark Davies
T: 07979 703526