ST PAUL, Minn.-It won't be long before diseases and other pests take their toll on potato crops across the United States.
As part of its mission to enhance the health, management and production of potato crops through quality, science-based information, the Plant Management Network's `Focus on Potato' resource has published three new webcast presentations.
Phase II Metam Sodium Labeling
For decades, growers of high value crops have relied heavily upon metam sodium and metam potassium products to control weeds, disease and nematodes. However, label changes for metam sodium are underway in order to comply with newer EPA registration eligibility standards. In this talk, titled `Metam Sodium: Implementation of Phase II Labeling,' Kyle Coleman from TKI NovaSource, discusses the Phase II changes that took place in December of 2012. This 25-minute presentation is open access through June 30, 2013.
Late Blight Forecasting and Management
This talk, titled "Late Blight Forecasting" by Dr. Bill Fry at Cornell will help users understand late blight forecasts, as well as how to manage late blight more effectively. First, the epidemiological basis for (potato) late blight forecasts is described. Dr. Fry then introduces a Decision Support System (DSS) that can be used in "real time" as an aid in scheduling fungicide sprays. The DSS integrates the effect of weather, host resistance and fungicide to assure adequate disease suppression. This 45-minute presentation is open access through July 31, 2013.
Brown Spot of Potato: Biology and Management
"Brown Spot of Potato" by Dennis Johnson Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist at Washington State University, provides an overview of brown spot of potato and is intended to help growers, consultants, applied researchers and others better understand the epidemiology of the disease and how it can be managed. The presentation shows representative color images of disease symptoms, the pathogen on potential overwintering substrates, and defines environmental and plant growth factors that lead to the development of the disease. Brown spot management tactics are also discussed. This 15-minute presentation is open access through May 31, 2013.
Other Focus on Potato presentations can be viewed at www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/fop.