To help facilitate awareness of developing plant disease issues on a regional- and prairie-wide basis, the Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network (PCDMN) and the three Prairie provincial pathologists have worked with colleagues from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Geomatics Group since summer 2021. The result of this collaboration is the development and deployment of the Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network Quick Disease Reporter Tool (PCDMN QDRT).
This PCDMN Blog post provides an updated mini tutorial as several changes have been made to the tool since it was first introduced in 2021. Most of these reflect respecting privacy concerns for those individuals submitting reports. With the update the actual PCDMN QDRT reporting process relies on identifying the municipality where the field is located. No GPS info for an individual field is shared.
The revised mini tutorial can be accessed at this link: PCDMN QDRT Mini Tutorial May 2023
The PCDMN QDRT can be used to make quick general reports of diseases in common crops over the Prairie region as part of the Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network. These reports will be used to prepare PCDMN QDRT disease update maps. Initially our target is to provide weekly map updates. The map will be shared via the PCDMN Blog and PCDMN Twitter feed as well as via provincial government or producer group crop/disease updates during the summer. PCDMN QDRT reports will aid in identifying regions where disease outbreaks are starting to occur. This information provides a timely heads-up for producers and crop consultants indicating where further in-crop scouting and risk assessment are needed, especially when a fungicide application is being considered. Please note the success of the PCDMN QDRT is dependent on farmer, consultant/agronomist, researcher and producer group/provincial extension staff participation. The greater the number of reports the better able we are to inform individuals and organizations regarding emerging disease issues so they can take appropriate timely actions.
