2019
Utilization of Weather and Climate Information for Weed Management
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Contributor/Checkoff:
South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Abiotic stressCrop protectionField management Water supply
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Laura Edwards, South Dakota State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council
$25,000
Institution Funded:
South Dakota State University
$25,000
Brief Project Summary:

The project will combine best weed management practices with weather and climate conditions to assist in herbicide and pesticide application decisions. Augmentations to the state’s Mesonet, including additional temperature sensors at all locations, will directly measure inversions in real-time, and validate an alternate method of calculating inversions. The initiatives are aimed at providing the most useful information for any pesticide application in 2018 and beyond, while understanding that the three newly approved dicamba formulations have just a one-year label approval. The research results and outreach strategy will be useful for any pesticide application in soybeans. The team will focus on particle drift, and not vapor drift.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, meterologists, applicators, ag retailers, agronomists

Information And Results
Project Deliverables

• Development of a real-time SD Mesonet Spray Tool, an online display of current weather and pesticide application conditions, using the SD Mesonet locations. (Nathan)
• SD Mesonet Spray Tool display of temperature inversion, using augmented stations with additional temperature sensors. These will be also be used to validate an atmospheric turbulence model for inversion potential. (Nathan and SD Mesonet, Laura)
• Reactivate four SD Mesonet weather stations (Faulkton, Leola, Highmore and Bowdle) to improve spatial coverage of weather data in eastern SD’s soybean growing region. (Nathan and SD Mesonet). See attached map of current and proposed re-activation sites.
• Create a video to illustrate atmospheric stability and inversions. This will use smoke markers to show dispersion of pesticides, and share best management practices for weed management using weather information. (Nathan, Laura and Gared)
• Smoke markers will be deployed throughout the season across the region to validate the Mesonet observations and the inversion tool accuracy. (Laura, Gared and SD Mesonet)
• Share results through Extension field days, Extension publications/fact sheets, farm shows, traditional and social media, and through SD Soybean communication network. (Laura and Gared)

Final Project Results

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.