Decision Support Systems For Disease Control in Winter Wheat.

Abstract

A leaf diagnostic test and a computer-based decision support system were evaluated for the control of diseases of winter wheat caused by Septoria spp. Fungicide programmes, as dictated by both methods, were compared with a standard routine programme, a reduced-rate programme and an unsprayed control from 1998 to 2000. In some instances fungicide programmes, dictated by leaf diagnostic tests, resulted in lower disease and higher yields than routine programmes but these were not consistent. Fungicide programmes, based on the computer-based decision support system, offered no advantages over routine programmes in terms of lower levels of disease, reduced numbers of fungicide applications or increased yields. Reduced-rate programmes, based on more frequent applications of low rates of fungicides, resulted in substantial savings of fungicides and in 1999 and 2000 better disease control and higher yields than routine programmes.