2021
A New Approach to Managing White Mold in MN Soybean/Expanding Digital Crop Doc, a Digital Diagnostics Service
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Contributor/Checkoff:
Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Crop protectionDiseaseField management
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Angie Peltier, University of Minnesota
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
10-15-44-21228
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council
$10,318
Institution Funded:
University of Minnesota
$10,318
Brief Project Summary:

Farmers now have another way to use their smart phones to get answers on crop issues in their fields. Beyond the traditional route of calling their field agronomist and scheduling a personal visit, they can now snap some photos and send them to the Digital Crop Doc for help. Digital Crop Doc, the brainchild of Angie Peltier, a Minnesota extension educator, is supported by the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. Farmers upload 10 photos and answer a series of questions. Then, an extension expert reviews the data and makes a diagnosis. The web-based system helps extension educators be as responsive as possible to farmers.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, ag retailers, applicators, extension specialists

Information And Results
Project Deliverables

This project aimed to complete two objectives in the 2021-2022 project year. Neither were finished to completion and so a no-cost extension was both requested and granted. The final report will be due at this point in 2023.

Briefly, the historically severe drought conditions that prevailed throughout Minnesota in 2022 prevented all three components of the "disease triangle" (a susceptible soybean variety, the pathogen and the environmental conditions that allow the pathogen and plant to interact) from being present to cause disease.

For objective 1, while we were able to collect fungicide coverage and soybean yield and moisture data, hot, dry weather guaranteed a white mold-free growing season at the research farms in both Crookston and Staples.

For objective 2, although there was an advertising plan (Minneline and Soybean Business) in place, few attributed poorly growing soybeans in 2022 to plant disease and so there was only a single submission to Digital Crop Doc during the 2021 growing season.

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.