An Orchard System for Monitoring and 

 Modeling Apple Scab, Disseminating 

 Apple Scab Model Data Regionally, and 

 Managing Orchard Fungicide Use 



Jon M. Clements 



Department of Plant & Soil Sciences, University of Massachusetts 



In 2003, James O'Brien (Brooksby Orchard), Steve 

 Ware (Bolton Orchard), Richard Bartlett (Bartlett 

 Orchard), Tom Clark (Clarkdale Fruit Farm), Maurice 

 and Phyllis Tougas (Tougas Family Fann), William 

 Broderick (Sunnycrest Orchard), and I received an 

 Agro-Environmental Technology grant from the 

 Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources 

 (DAR) to purchase and install Spectrum Technologies 

 (23839 West Andrews Rd., Plainfield, Illinois) weather 

 stations in their orchards. Wliat follows is the narrative 

 of the Final Report I submitted to DAR in December, 

 2003. The complete report is available on the UMass 

 Fruit Advisor, www.umass.edu/fruitadvisor/clements/ 

 and from the DAR Agro-Technology web site, 

 www.state.ma.us/dfa/programs/agroenviro/. 



A simple system for apple growers to monitor 

 environmental weather data (temperature and leaf 

 wetness particularly) to be used in models for 

 predicting apple scab infection periods would make 

 their fungicide applications more timely and accurate, 

 thereby potentially reducing pesticide use, improving 

 disease control, and saving money. Additionally, raw 

 weather data and model output can now be shared 

 regionally via the Internet to be used by neighboring 

 growers. Such a system has recently become feasible 

 with the availability of inexpensive electronic weather 

 data monitors, personal-computer (PC)-based models, 

 e-mail delivered weather data, and models by 

 coinmercial services, and grower familiarity with PC's 

 and the Internet. 



Objectives 



1. Establish a series of onsite weather stations that 

 collect data, which can be used in models to predict 



apple scab infection periods. Such models will help 

 growers determine the need (or lack of) for 

 fungicide sprays to control apple scab based on 

 accurate environmental information previously 

 unavailable to them. 



2. Post weather and apple scab infection period 

 information from these orchards on the 

 Massachusetts Fruit Growers' Association web site 

 (http://www.massfruitgrowers.org) for neighboring 

 growers access and use in helping them make 

 fungicide application decisions. 



3 . Compare weather data collected by onsite weather 

 stations in trial orchards to SkyBit E-Weather 

 infonnation, particularly when used in models to 

 predict apple scab infection periods. Survey trial 

 growers to ascertain their preference, and be able 

 to make recommendations to other growers based 

 on their preference. 



Procedures 



In late April 2003, Spectrum Technologies weather 

 stations (either 3610TWD 'Watchdog' Leaf Wetness/ 

 Temperature Logger or 3684PDSR 'Watchdog' Plant 

 Disease Station) were installed in the cooperating 

 grower orchards. Spectrum Technologies PC software 

 (3656 SpecWare 6.0) for collecting and displaying 

 weather data and analyzing apple scab infection periods 

 (3656AS Apple Scab IPM) were installed on 

 cooperating growers computers, and they were given 

 coaching m its use. Growers were instructed to collect 

 weather data, run the apple scab model, and post the 

 results to the Massachusetts Fruit Growers' Association 

 (MFGA) web site at weekly intervals via FTP (File 

 Transfer Protocol) (Figure 1). 



Fruit Notes, Volume 69, Summer, 2004 



