In recent years, blueberry growers in Maine have benefited greatly from weather assessments to inform important pest management decisions. However, the high cost of operating local weather stations to provide input data for these estimates may not be sustainable.
Since 1997, the Maine apple industry has used farm-specific weather values based on interpolation between measurements from nearby professionally managed weather stations. The data is provided electronically in the form of hourly observations and 10-day forecasts. This data is converted into publicly available manufacturer recommendations via the Internet using an automated computer system. Unofficial estimates indicate that estimates of dates for apple blossoms and other easily observed events are very accurate. But we need to make sure that estimates based on interpolated weather data match those obtained from in situ station observations.
This project will use two data sources from 10 Maine locations to compare model estimates of the most important blueberry and apple diseases. The project will help determine whether the cost of obtaining blueberry weather data can be significantly reduced and test the accuracy of an apple orchard advisory system already in use.
Documenting the effectiveness of interpolated weather data will provide the basis for the development of an economically sustainable and much-needed agricultural weather support network in Maine.
Post time: Sep-06-2024