DELIVERY OF SITE-SPECIFIC WEATHER
SERVICES TO AGRICULTURAL CLIENTS
Dr. Ron Pitblado
WEATHER
INNOVATIONS
INCORPORATED
PERSPECTIVES
• REGIONAL vs. SITE-SPECIFIC
- SKYBIT – failed in Canada – not specific
enough
- REGIONAL MAPS – failed as a grower’s tool
but used by extension and government
• ACE – Manitoba
• Growth Stage – Alberta
• Weatherbug - Canada Wheat Board
STAGE OF CEREAL DEVELOPMENT
Fusarium Head Blight
DISEASE CONTROL
STRATEGIES
1. Reduce initial inoculum
- when to start
2. Reduce the build up of disease
- how often and when to apply
subsequent fungicide applications
SENSORS
• Compact Unit.
• Modem Data Retrieval or Manual.
• Capable of logging entire
growing season.
TOMcast - ESSEX
• Client supplies WIN with their field locations.
• WIN creates a unique data-file to create a custom and secure web-page.
• WIN gives a user ID and a Password.
• Client logs into WIN site and is presented with several new features.
The Seed
• Ontario Canada - Spring 2000
–
–
–
–
The provincial agricultural ministry decides to reorganize
When government decided to just “train the trainers”….
they quit providing direct IPM advisories to growers,
and they hoped private businesses would fill the
consulting gaps
• Ridgetown College, University of Guelph
– Researchers recognize the challenges delivering IPM
programs to growers
– Decide to develop a cost recovery system to serve
agriculture
– Study IPM programs in other regions and countries
The Germination - 2000
• The Informal Study Concluded…
– Too much university research is never
delivered to the farm community.
– Governments in many places are providing
less direct support for advisory services.
– Rapid growth in many technologies becomes
difficult for individual consultants to manage.
– Weather model businesses are not easy to
operate
The Emergence - 2001
• The project started very small and
survived on trust and the
encouragement of a few
researchers!
– Dr. Ron Pitblado, the author of several
fungicide timing models was one of
the foundation researchers.
– Many researchers helped, including
Dr. Terry Gillespie and Dr. Paulo
Sentelhas who were working at the
Guelph campus.
Early Growth
• First Leaf
- TOMcast - 2000
– It had been delivered by the government and was one of the
victims of the cutting of the government extension services.
So we took over from the government and then improved the
delivery of the model to growers.
– This model works well for us because we continue to make
the original leaf wetness sensors that were used when the
model was developed
Early Growth
• First Leaf
• Second Leaf
- TOMcast - 2000
- BEETcast - 2001
– BEETcast is a fungicide timing model for the proper spray
timing to reduce the damage from Cercospora Leaf spot on
sugar beets. The model helps growers protect the crop
before visual damage can be observed on the plant canopy.
Prevention leads to higher returns for the grower. Each year
we add new features to the delivery service.
– BEETcast is another of Ron’s models
Cercospora Leaf Spot
Early Growth
• First Leaf
• Second Leaf
• Third Leaf
- TOMcast - 2000
- BEETcast - 2001
- DONcast - 2002
– DONcast predicts what the DON toxin level will be in wheat at
harvest time. The prediction is made just after heading time
so an assessment of the need for protective fungicides can
be made early enough to take action. DONcast has been run
in several countries.
DONcast v2005 Critical Periods of Wx
~ from Heading to Harvest ~
Rain,
Tmin
-8
-4
Rain, Rain,
Tave, Tave,
Tmax, RH
RH
Tmax
0
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
Days Relative to Wheat Head Emergence (Zadoks 59)
Heading Anthesis
Soft Dough
Rain
32
Harvest +/-
Early Growth
•
•
•
•
First Leaf
Second Leaf
Third Leaf
Fourth Leaf
- TOMcast - 2000
- BEETcast - 2001
- DONcast - 2002
- Ontario Crop Insurance - 2003
– The crop insurance agency wanted to insure
forage crops based on precipitation (the biggest
influence) rather than yield (which is hard to
measure in forage crops).
– WIN got the contract to install 350 recording
rainfall stations and gather the data. (we also built
our own rain gauges for this project)
Early Growth
•
•
•
•
•
First Leaf
Second Leaf
Third Leaf
Fourth Leaf
Fifth Leaf
- TOMcast - 2000
- BEETcast - 2001
- DONcast - 2002
- Ontario Crop Insurance - 2003
- Grape programs - 2003
– The Ontario Grape Growers association owned a small
network of stations but did not understand how to add value
to a weather program. They were struggling and they
decided to give us the network if we would help get some
commercial value from these weather stations
– We now offer a variety of programs for these growers.
Ice on Vineyard Equipment
Early Growth
•
•
•
•
•
•
First Leaf
Second Leaf
Third Leaf
Fourth Leaf
Fifth Leaf
Sixth Leaf
- TOMcast - 2000
- BEETcast - 2001
- DONcast - 2002
- Ontario Crop Insurance - 2003
- Grape programs - 2003
- Apple models – 2003
– We have adapted a suite of models for apple production and
have done enough collaborative research to adapt the
service to the needs of Ontario growers. The commercial
interest is now starting to grow quickly.
Apple
Early Growth
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
First Leaf
Second Leaf
Third Leaf
Fourth Leaf
Fifth Leaf
Sixth Leaf
Seventh Leaf
- TOMcast - 2000
- BEETcast - 2001
- DONcast - 2002
- Ontario Crop Insurance - 2003
- Grape programs - 2003
- Apple models
- 2003
- Corn Flea Beetle - 2003
– We launched into the forecasting of an over wintering insect.
– We now can provide advisory information on many insects
Mosquito Traps
Can weather
station data predict
the outbreaks of
mosquitoes and
warn against the
West Nile Virus ?
Drain
Early Growth
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
First Leaf
Second Leaf
Third Leaf
Fourth Leaf
Fifth Leaf
Sixth Leaf
Seventh Leaf
Eighth leaf
- TOMcast - 2000
- BEETcast - 2001
- DONcast - 2002
- Ontario Crop Insurance - 2003
- Grape programs - 2003
- Apple models
- 2003
- Corn Flea Beetle - 2003
- Saskatchewan CIC - 2005
– Saskatchewan Crop Insurance hired WIN to run the provincial
monitoring for insurance programs.
– In year 2006 they doubled our contract
Flowering 2006
• The program outgrows the university
mandate and is purchased from the
university. The principals are…
– Ian – business and marketing
– Rob – systems and computing, operations
– Ron – pathology, entomology, agronomy
• We move the staff out of the university
facility
Locations, Staff, Facilities
• Chatham Ontario
8 - 12 central office employees
• Operation Centers
2 - 4 home office employees
Ontario and Saskatchewan
• Contract staff
15 – 20 casual employees
Manitoba and Ontario
• Researchers and collaborators
– Frequently engaged in WIN’s work
Tomatoes
Surface Drip Tape
10 cm
30 cm
50 cm
TriSCAN
HOW TO FOLLOW YOUR
FERTILIZER APPLIATIONS
SPUDcast
SPUDcast
MODEL A -TIMED INTERVAL SPRAYING
- choose the high fungicide labelled rates
- spray according to the accumulative SPUD values
SPRAY Recommendation
Initial Spray Application
150 SPUD values
Subsequent Sprays
50 SPUD values
MODEL B - DYNAMIC DOSAGE MODEL
- using a protectant fungicide program use the lower recommended
rates under the LOW RISK criteria based on the weather conditions
during the past 7-days. Use the higher recommended fungicide rate
under a MODERATE RISK criteria or choose a late blight targeted
fungicide under a HIGH RISK of late blight criteria.
CUKEcast
SPRAYcast ADVISORY
Fusarium Pink Ear Rot
Pollination - 2007
• WIN now has a good core of contract
accounts and an even larger number of
models and programs in development.
COLLABORATION
PUBLIC - PRIVATE
• DONcast –science based discoveries
– WIN can put them together and deliver a
product
• Government Delivery Systems –
publically funded
– Will exclude private initiatives – can’t
compete with a free service
– Inadvertently the government delivery
systems will slow down the
implementation of IPM programs
PERSPECTIVES
• Weather Networks – governments to offer
weather information – basic right
• Territorial issues – extension staff
• Research Support – Funding only the
science component – no funds for initial
implementation
• National Research Programs – private
companies “do not apply”
• Growers group –waiting for government
support
www.weatherinnovations.com