What’s in it for me ?
The Wheat Disease Manager is a ‘decision tool’ to help crop managers make decisions about spray timing, product choice and dose.
- It utilises the HGCA funded variety disease resistance data and fungicide dose response trials data.
- It allows you to combine this data with ‘live’ weather data and your own crop observations to quantifiably assess disease risk.
- Different spray programmes can then be assessed, to see which are likely to be the most cost effective, either by assessing the strengths or weakness of your own present regime or by interrogating the system to offer alternative strategies.
Performance of Wheat Disease Manager (WDM) in 2003
In 2003, there were approximately 50 sites on which WDM was being tested by farmers, agronomists and technical organisations. Tests were carried out in England, Scotland, Eire and Denmark. These user tests ranged from small plots to areas of several hectares.
At harvest, yield comparisons between 15 crops treated with and without the use of Wheat Disease Manager were compared. In summary, across the sites on which WDM was compared with conventional decision making, the results were:
- Yield was 0.1 tonne per hectare lower with WDM
- Fungicide doses applied were down by over 30% where WDM was used
- Margin over fungicide costs was increased by £17 per ha where WDM was used.
Yield comparisons
Yield (tonnes per ha @85% DM) |
|||
Location |
Variety |
Wheat Disease Manager |
Conventional |
| Bedfordshire | Access | 9.6 |
9.5 |
| Bedfordshire | Xi19 | 9.8 |
9.7 |
| Denmark | Ritmo | 9.3 |
9.1 |
| Suffolk | Claire | 7.3 |
8 |
| Suffolk | Claire | 7 |
7 |
| Suffolk | Malacca | 10 |
10 |
| Gloucestershire | Robigus | 9.9 |
9.9 |
| Gloucestershire | Tanker | 9.3 |
9.3 |
| Wiltshire | Claire | 11.6 |
12.1 |
| Wiltshire | Consort | 10.4 |
10.7 |
| Borders | Consort | 10.2 |
10.2 |
| Fife | Consort | 11.2 |
11.2 |
| Bedfordshire | Claire | 9 |
8.8 |
| Eire | Claire | 11.1 |
11.9 |
| Eire | Madrigal | 9.6 |
10.1 |
| Mean | 9.7 |
9.8 |
|
Fungicide doses applied
Total dose applied (Units) |
|||
| Location | Variety | Wheat Disease Manager |
Conventional |
| Bedfordshire | Access | 1 |
1.1 |
| Bedfordshire | Xi19 | 1.3 |
1.9 |
| Denmark | Ritmo | 1.6 |
1.1 |
| Suffolk | Claire | 1.5 |
2.6 |
| Suffolk | Claire | 1.4 |
1.4 |
| Suffolk | Malacca | 1.5 |
2.4 |
| Gloucestershire | Robigus | 1.5 |
1.5 |
| Gloucestershire | Tanker | 1.1 |
1.5 |
| Wiltshire | Claire | 1 |
2.3 |
| Wiltshire | Consort | 1.8 |
2.7 |
| Borders | Consort | 0.5 |
3.3 |
| Fife | Consort | 1 |
3.3 |
| Bedfordshire | Claire | 1.7 |
1.8 |
| Eire | Claire | 1.7 |
3.3 |
| Eire | Madrigal | 2.7 |
3.3 |
| Mean | 1.4 |
2.2 |
|
Summary of margin over fungicide costs
Margin |
|||
(grain value @ œ60 per tonne ? fungicide cost) |
|||
| Location | Variety | Wheat Disease Manager |
Conventional |
| Bedfordshire | Access | 531 |
524 |
| Bedfordshire | Xi19 | 537 |
519 |
| Denmark | Ritmo | 492 |
497 |
| Suffolk | Claire | 390 |
402 |
| Suffolk | Claire | 377 |
347 |
| Suffolk | Malacca | 543 |
506 |
| Gloucestershire | Robigus | 544 |
538 |
| Gloucestershire | Tanker | 509 |
499 |
| Wiltshire | Claire | 644 |
636 |
| Wiltshire | Consort | 526 |
540 |
| Borders | Consort | 577 |
503 |
| Fife | Consort | 636 |
561 |
| Bedfordshire | Claire | 482 |
475 |
| Eire | Claire | 615 |
604 |
| Eire | Madrigal | 499 |
498 |
| Mean | 527 |
510 |
|
Comments from users
“A very good back-up tool to help explore the risks of spray decisions before they are taken” Richard Johnson, AICC member, Yorkshire
“It's like having an agronomist always on hand” Norfolk farmer
“Wheat Disease Manager has been adjusted to take into account wetter conditions in the west, and strobilurin resistance, so I shall be looking at it with interest.” David Langton, Masstock Arable
