Disease Forecasting Systems

Plant diseases cost growers and consumers billions of dollars each year, by affecting both quality and quantity of food products.  Traditional disease management techniques are often costly and may only be partially effective.  Each type of disease-causing pathogen and the resulting epidemic it causes is characterized by its own unique biological system combined with specific spatial and temporal dynamics.     

Fungal diseases in particular are greatly influenced by climatic conditions and weather patterns. Plant pathologists and meteorologists have often collaborated to develop disease forecasting or warning systems that attempt to help growers make economic decisions for managing diseases.  These types of warning systems may consist of supporting a producer’s decision making process for determining cost and benefits for applying pesticides, selecting seed or propagation materials, or whether to plant a crop in a particular area.  The primary principle for developing and utilizing disease forecasting systems is to determine the risk for a disease to occur and estimate whether the intensity of disease will increase.  A successful system will allow both commercial growers and home gardeners to use information to make timely decisions about practical management of diseases through fungicide applications or other management tactics.

Two forecasting systems for Nebraska crops have been developed and are currently being implemented for Cercospora leaf spot in sugar beets and scab of wheat.  In addition to forecasting models, surveillance activities for airborne diseases which do not overwinter locally are extremely useful for timely management.  The national sentinel monitoring program for soybean rust is serving this need for Nebraska producers.   For more information on these specific symptoms see the links provided on the right.