Location: Crop Production and Protection
Project Number: 0500-00102-001-057-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2024
End Date: May 31, 2025
Objective:
This project will focus on the following objectives: 1) Maintain database of weather resources used for model deployment.; 2) Develop daily maps of risk for wheat diseases stripe rust, leaf rust, tan spot, and parastagonospora leaf blotch; 3) Develop web-based tools for research evaluation of daily disease risk maps via the Wheat Dashboard; 4) Develop web-based tools for public deployment of daily disease risk maps; 5) Support the development and deployment of additional tools for wheat disease forecasting models within the initiative.
Approach:
To achieve objective 1, relevant meteorological variables will be gathered, stored, and processed as input to disease forecasting models. To achieve objective 2, meteorological datasets described in Objective 1 and historical disease incidence records will be integrated to develop maps that will offer dynamic insights into the spatial distribution and temporal progression of the different disease risks across agricultural landscapes. Through the utilization of advanced spatial analysis techniques and data visualization tools, the proposed maps will enable stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding disease monitoring, crop protection measures, and resource allocation. To achieve objective 3, more advanced tools and data displays designed for research applications will be provided through the existing framework described in Objectives 1 and 2. Research evaluation will include assessments of existing predictive model accuracy, provide an infrastructure for experimental model development, and environmental variables used in model development. To achieve objective 4, risk maps will be provided to the public for the wheat diseases outlined above. In addition to specified disease risk, specific meteorological and climatological maps will provide additional context for growers. Some examples of additional maps include counts of hours above or below specified temperature thresholds to determine heat or freeze stress on the crop. Maps and tools will be evaluated on a regular basis for potential expansion and refinement. To achieve objective 5, additional tools will build upon the foundational efforts outlined in Objectives 1 through 4, which establish a robust infrastructure for data collection, analysis, and dissemination. By supporting the creation of additional tools, this objective seeks to enhance the predictive capabilities and usability of existing models, thereby empowering stakeholders with more comprehensive insights into disease dynamics and risk assessment in wheat cultivation. These tools will be integrated into the existing dashboard user interface, leveraging advanced technologies and methodologies to improve predictive model accuracy, reliability, and accessibility.
