Use of a real-time decision support system to give accurate timings for fungicide applications

© 2020 The Author(s). This an open access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Environmental conditions such as temperature and relative humidity (RH) affect strawberry powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis) development and disease severity. To control P. aphanis growers apply fungicides every 7-14 days (insurance spraying). A rule-based prediction system was developed which records the accumulated number of hours (up to 144) of disease conducive conditions (temperature 15.5-30°C, RH>60%), both parameters must be met for the number of hours to accumulate for the development of the pathogen. It identifies high risk periods when sporulation may occur thus allowing growers to spray at the optimal time to prevent primary infection. A new web-based system designed to be more user-friendly was used at farm sites in England and Scotland in 2018. This work aims to give commercially satisfactory disease control of strawberry powdery mildew with fewer fungicide sprays. The growers checked daily to determine whether a fungicide spray would be required; when applied, the growers reset the system to zero, the hours of disease conducive conditions again start accumulating. This was compared to an area of the farm that used the grower’s normal fungicide spray programme. From leaf samples collected, no presence of disease was found throughout the season showing satisfactory control of P. aphanis. The grower in England saved four sprays, compared to their normal spray programme. A cost-benefit analysis based on fungicides used and labour costs, showed that the grower saved £216 per hectare. The grower in Scotland saved three fungicide sprays compared to their grower group’s suggested spray programme thus saving £275 per hectare. The use of the prediction system enables the grower to spray with precision timing, to maximise fungicide effectivity on disease control, whilst making cost savings. The system can be used as a decision support system giving confidence to only spray when necessary instead of insurance spraying.Non peer reviewe

What are the benefits of using silicon as a nutrient for strawberry growth?

© 2020 The Author(s). This an open access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Silicon is considered to be a non-essential element in strawberry production, previous work at the University of Hertfordshire has shown that the use of silicon in fertigation systems has enhanced the constitutive defence pathway of the strawberry crop and has additional benefits such as increased chlorophyll content of leaves, increased Brix values of fruit and increased pollen viability. In a hydroponic experiment in 2018, plants received weekly treatments of a silicon solution (0.017%) were compared to plants with no exposure to silicon. Treated plants had significantly more leaves, runners and fruits and a significant increase in chlorophyll content of the leaves (p<0.05). Also, fruits obtained from the treated plants, had significantly higher Brix levels, a greater mass and size than those from the untreated plants. No deficiency symptoms were observed in the untreated plants. A second hydroponic experiment began in January 2019 to investigate whether silicon can ever be toxic to strawberry plants. Weekly applications of potassium silicate were compared to the use of the silicon nutrient without potassium, at different concentrations; results are expected by June 2019. From the results of the first hydroponic experiment, it can be seen that strawberry plants are not naturally deficient in silicon, however, it is a limiting factor in their growth and plants can benefit from regular treatments of silicon.Non peer reviewe

Final Report of Ceres Funding Project 1C1P1

© 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.In 2019 the final on-farm validation of the UH prediction system (funded by Ceres, in collaboration with Agri-tech Services) took place on eight participating sites (from six farms) in England and Scotland. The aim of the project was to conduct an on-farm validation of the prediction system, in order to provide a simple, user friendly decision support system to growers to control the disease with fewer fungicide applications. A wide range of criteria were covered during the validation process: disease control, a range of geographical locations, manufacturers of temperature and humidity sensors, strawberry cultivars, growing media and methods. Pesticide application data for both prediction and control plots, costings and disease assessment results were received from all participating sites at the end of the season. The results of the validation and cost-benefits analysis were presented in this report. The prediction system was used on sites in both England and Scotland and a variety of cultivars were grown including Sweet Eve, Prize, Murano, Katrina and Amesti (everbearers) and Malling™ Centenary (June bearer). Two different types of sensors were used, Davis and SMS. Most growers used coir on tabletops, however on two sites, crops were grown on raised beds in soil. All growers who used the prediction system had commercially satisfactory disease control with fewer fungicide applications (by at least one spray) than the routine spray programme. They also benefited from financial savings due to reduced fungicide applications and labour costs. Positive feedback on using the prediction system in the 2019 validation was received from participating growers, as well as wide interest from other growers on adopting the prediction system in the coming season. The validation of the prediction system in 2019 has met the milestones of the project and has proven that the system, under all criteria, provided improved assistance to growers during their decision-making processes, achieving satisfactory disease control with fewer applications. The licence for the prediction system has now been agreed and will be signed in the Spring of 2020 which enables the system to be commercially available in 2020.Final Published versio

Controlling strawberry powdery mildew with reduced number of fungicide sprays

Strawberry powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis) is the most feared disease of strawberry under protection, environmental conditions under polythene are ideal for the growth of the fungi, with temperature and relative humidity (RH) affecting fungal development and disease severity. To control P. aphanis growers apply fungicides every 7-14 days throughout the season. A rule-based prediction system was developed which records the accumulated number of hours (up to 144) of disease conducive conditions (temperature 15.5-30°C, RH>60%), both parameters must be satisfied simultaneously for 144 hours to accumulate for pathogen development. The prediction system identifies high risk periods when sporulation can occur enabling growers to spray at the optimal time thus preventing primary infection. A user-friendly web-based system was used on two farms in England and Scotland in 2018 and six farms in 2019. Participating farms used temperature and humidity sensors in each of the trial fields. The decision support system aims to provide commercially satisfactory disease control with fewer fungicide sprays. Growers check daily to follow the accumulation of disease conducive hours, high risk and the need for fungicide spraying occurred between 120 and 144 hours. Following fungicide application, the system was reset, and hours of disease conducive conditions accumulate again. This was compared to an area of the farm that used their routine fungicide spray programme. In both years, growers achieved commercially satisfactory disease control, without epidemic development. Furthermore, each participating grower saved between two and four sprays, compared to their routine spray programme. A cost-benefit analysis based on fungicide and labour costs, indicated savings between £200-£400 per hectare. The use of the prediction system enables growers to spray with precision timing, therefore maximising fungicide efficiency and reducing costs. The system can be used as a decision support system giving confidence to only spray when necessary.Peer reviewe

The role of silicon as a nutrient/biostimulant in strawberries

• All plants grown in soil contain silicon (Si) in their tissues, with concentrations that vary from 0.1% to 10% of their dry weight. • Si is referred to as “quasi-essential” for the growth of higher plants due to its important role in alleviating abiotic and biotic stresses. It can be taken up in a bio-available form - H4SiO4 (Ma et al., 2011). • Work at the University of Hertfordshire showed that regular use of a Si nutrient enhanced constitutive (passive) defence pathway (i.e. morphological changes in the leaf structure) in strawberry plants, resulting in increased resilience to diseases (e.g. strawberry powdery mildew Podosphaera aphanis) and pests (e.g. twospotted spider mites Tetranychus urtiae). An increase in plant biomass and improvements on other agronomic traits were also found (results shown from 2018-2019 glasshouse hydroponic experiments). • Si is mainly laid down in epidermis and in the form of phytoliths.Peer reviewe

Implementing psychological interventions delivered by respiratory professionals for people with COPD. A stakeholder interview study.

Implementing psychological interventions in healthcare services requires an understanding of the organisational context. We conducted an interview study with UK National Health Service stakeholders to understand the barriers and facilitators for implementing psychological interventions for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). We used TANDEM as an exemplar intervention; a psychological intervention recently evaluated in a randomised controlled trial. Twenty participants providing care and/or services to people with COPD were purposively sampled from NHS primary/secondary care, and commissioning organisations. Participants were recruited via professional networks and referrals. Verbatim transcripts of semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes were identified: (1) Living with COPD and emotional distress affects engagement with physical and psychological services; (2) Resource limitations affects service provision in COPD; (3) Provision of integrated care is important for patient well-being; and (4) Healthcare communication can be an enabler or a barrier to patient engagement. People need support with physical and psychological symptoms inherent with COPD and healthcare should be provided holistically. Respiratory healthcare professionals are considered able to provide psychologically informed approaches, but resources must be available for training, staff supervision and service integration. Communication between professionals is vital for clear understanding of an intervention's aims and content, to facilitate referrals and uptake. There was widespread commitment to integrating psychological and physical care, and support of respiratory healthcare professionals' role in delivering psychological interventions but significant barriers to implementation due to concerns around resources and cost efficiency. The current study informs future intervention development and implementation

The development of a new measure of quality of life in the management of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: the Reflux Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION This paper reports on the development of a new measure of health-related quality of life for use among patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), funded as part of the REFLUX trial. This is a large UK multi centre trial that aims to compare the clinical and cost effectiveness of minimal access surgery with best medical treatment for patients with GORD within the NHS. Method Potential items were identified via a series of interviews and focus groups carried out with patients who were receiving/had received medical or surgical treatment for GORD. The final measure consisted of 31 items covering 7 categories (Heartburn; Acid reflux; Wind; Eating and swallowing; Bowel movements; Sleep; Work, physical and social activities). The measure produced two outputs: a quality of life score (RQLS) and five Reflux symptom scores. Reliability (internal consistency), criterion validity with the SF-36 and, sensitivity to change in terms of relationship with reported change in prescribed medication were assessed amongst a sample of 794 patients recruited into the trial. RESULTS The measure was shown to be internally consistent, to show criterion validity with the SF-36 and sensitive to changes in patients use of prescribed medication at baseline and 3 month follow-up. DISCUSSION The Reflux questionnaire is a new self-administered questionnaire for use amongst patients with GORD. Initial findings suggest that the new measure is valid, reliable, acceptable to respondents and simple to administer in both a clinical and research context