Confidence to Spray Only When Necessary
Root Brings Agriculture into the Future
2021 GRAPEVINE POWDERY MILDEW PILOTS
Brad Saved $34,000
Brad decided to lengthen his sprays because of our data showing that there was no powdery mildew in spring 2021. We didn't see any powdery mildew at any of Brad's five sensors until June 22, months after he began spraying. He lengthened the intervals between sprays from 8 to 14 days starting in May, cutting two sprays and saving $34,000. In addition, he was alerted when and where powdery mildew was present so that he could stay on control efforts at just the right time. Brad and his team first saw powdery mildew on July 7, more than two weeks after we first alerted him to the spores entering the vineyard. We also alerted Brad later in July to high pathogen pressure at only one of his sensors, which he confirmed was coming from a neighbor's vineyard.
Caleb Reduced to Only Three Sprays All Season
Caleb had one of our sensors in a vineyard in Napa. Caleb started spraying much later than usual because our data showed that there was no powdery mildew. He also lengthened his sprays to every 21 days and stopped spraying altogether before powdery mildew first appeared in late July. He only sprayed three times in 2021 and never had symptoms until the end of July.
Kyle's Alert Comes Weeks Before Symptoms And Weeks After Historical Expectation
Kyle had three sensors in the Santa Cruz mountains, including one at a site that gets powdery mildew every year. The particular site is especially hard to spray as it is on a steep hillside. Historically, powdery mildew pressure is high even in the early season at this site, but our sensors showed that this year there was no powdery mildew until much later than expected. Our sensors detected powdery mildew's first arrival on June 8, and Kyle first detected symptoms on July 6.
HOW DOES ROOT'S TECHNOLOGY HELP IN A HIGH PRESSURE YEAR?
Root gives growers the information to better manage the pathogen
Even in high pressure years, Root's pathogen monitoring system can help growers manage their crop more effectively. Just as spraying when the pathogen is not there is wasteful, not spraying when the pathogen arrives can create a domino effect that allows the pathogen to flourish. Moreover, knowing when and where powdery mildew pressure is very high can help growers better manage an outbreak through identification and elimination of pathogen sources, leafing, and adjustments to the spray program.
Spraying at the right time is the key to control the local powdery mildew population. Fortunately, Root identifies the spores when they are still in the air, giving growers at least a week to respond.