Establishing a plant protection advisory service in Austrian vineyards and apple orchards, based on electronic climate stations 1

Abstract

In 1995, P.B. Consult established a plant protection advisory service in horticulture and viticulture in Austria. Each client has his own weather station or shares a weather station with another grower nearby. Field monitoring is done using forms and instructions from P.B. Consult, either by staff or by interested growers. For disease forecasts, weather data is collected by telephone on a central computer at 0500 every day. Infection conditions and potential inoculum for weather‐driven diseases like Venturia inaequalis and Plasmopara viticola are evaluated by computer. For Uncinula necator, initial infection can be forecast from field observations indicating the presence of flag shoots (carrying overwintered mildew) or from weather conditions favouring ascospore discharge and germination, then further propagation can be predicted on the basis of temperature. There are no simulation models leading to direct advice for insect pests in horticulture and viticulture but, in some cases (Hoplocampa testudinea, Cydia pomonella), cumulative temperatures and temperature thresholds are good tools for reducing the number of field observations and for fixing the date of field observations.