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ARS Home » Crop Production and Protection » Research » Research Project #444716

Research Project: Florida Cotton Disease Predictive Tool Development

Location: Crop Production and Protection

Project Number: 0500-00102-001-044-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jun 1, 2024
End Date: May 31, 2025

Objective:
The overall objective is to develop predictive tools from standardized and validated datasets to guide grower decisions targeting foliar diseases.

Approach:
To accomplish the proposed project for foliar diseases, two commercial cotton fields in Florida will be monitored with air samplers and inoculum identified and quantified by molecular tools. Fields will be visually rated for diseases present. Planting date, planting rate, row spacing, soil type, and other agronomic information for each field location will also be recorded. ‘Management Plots’ will also be established at a university experiment station site in Florida with at least 2 varieties (one being a standard across locations). These will be small plots, replicated, with and without fungicide application to be taken to yield. The management plots will be evaluated for visual disease ratings, monitored with air samplers, weather conditions recorded, and other crop information recorded (i.e. planting date, planting rate, row spacing, and other agronomic data).