Abstract
(English)
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Phytophthora infestans, the potato late blight causing organism, is world-wide a major problem for farmers producing potatoes. High fungicide inputs and the lack of appropriate information recommendation systems are often the rule.
The EU-network served as a collaboration platform of major research groups in Europe involved in developing decision support systems (DSS) for integrated strategies for the control of potato late blight. The aim of the concerted action was to provide a complete data-network that can be used to develop a DSS, adapted to particular requirements of any specific region. The group had identified three major fields of activity: 1) epidemiology of the pathogen, 2) fungicide characteristics, 3) modelling of a decision support system. Therefore, three subgroups were founded, which met during four workshops in Lelystad (NL, 1996), Carlow (IRL, 1997), Uppsala (S, 1998) and Oostende (B, 1999). The proceedings of the workshops of the EU.NET.ICP are published in the PAV-Special Reports no. 1(1997), no. 3(1998), no. 5(1999) and no. 7(2000). In addition, the proceedings of a post project workshop in München in 2000 will be published in a PAV-Special Report (in press, 2001).
In order to build a database for DSS modelling, participants in the subgroup 'Epidemiology' were gathering information on the influence of the following parameters on the late blight epidemics and its quantification: the role of oospores as a primary source of infection, the importance of leaf- and stem infection, the genetically structure of the pathogen population and the management of resistance. Because of financial restrictions it was not possible to answer all questions, however a very good co-operation had developed and further projects are planned.
In the subgroup 'Fungicides', participants established a fungicide data-network based on the information obtained of questionnaires that had been sent to chemical companies and plant protection officers. An agreement in characterising the eleven most used products was achieved. New fungicides and their mode of action were presented. The characteristics of the fungicides are used in DSSs in order to optimise plant protection by spraying, selecting the most suitable product in a given situation. Further projects are planned for testing the interaction between single potato varieties and fungicides.
In the subgroup 'DSS Modelling', participants worked out a catalogue where the eight actually used DSSs (NegFry/DK, ProPhy/NL, Simphyt/D, PlantPlus/NL, Guntz Diveau/F, Televis/N, I.P.I./I, PhytoPRE/CH) of the EU.NET.ICP participant countries were described and characterised. It contains information about the development and the operation of the DSSs, their structure and their submodels, their in- and out-puts, their software basis, their hardware needs and their commercial status. Based on these information participants tried to work out one only DSS for whole Europe. As regional weather- and epidemic-circumstances are very different, it was not possible to construct such a uniform DSS.
Our contribution to the project focused on the subgroup 'DSS Modelling'. We were particularly interested in improving existing models, including our own potato late blight information- and decision support system 'PhytoPRE' for late blight control in Switzerland. From May 2001 on, 'PhytoPRE' will be available on the Internet (http://www.phytopre.ch). Core factors in the decision rules of our DSS are the actual disease state and weather events, described by our MISP (Main Infection and Sporulation Period) model.
During the EU.NET.ICP project, we participated the group which validated the different DSS models in field trials. The aim of these trials was to test the comprehensibility, the easiness to use and the efficiency of the models to control the disease. With our participation in EU.NET.ICP we were able to improve our DSS 'PhytoPRE' and to realise the Internet based version.
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