About Greencast
About GreenCast©
It is a decision management support system based on access to information on Products, Diseases, industry news, topical agronomic advice as well as weather based decision support tools such as 6 day forecasts for weather, spray application and disease infection risk, and turf growth or development. These information and support tools are along with your own observations and experience used to manage activities in providing an excellent playing surface.
GreenCast© Forecast Models
The disease forecast models are based on their biological properties and known association with various weather conditions. Having access to 5 day forecast for over 300 weather stations in the UK & Ireland we are able to check how favourable weather conditions are for the different diseases or turf growth actions and present this as a risk map or table using the following categories:
How to use the GreenCast© models
If possible monitor an area of untreated turf and compare appearance of disease with GreenCast© as this will allow you to "calibrate" the severity of the risk to your conditions. For this reason we have introduced 2 Fusarium models to take account of higher severity seen in Poa annua dominated turfs or shady situations and lower severity seen in Fescue dominated turfs or open situations.
Based on experience with Fusarium, GreenCast© should be monitored regularly and if current infection risk is medium or above look to see if forecasted risk level is sustained, if so then consider the need for a fungicide application.
Once an application is made, for 28 days GreenCast© forecasts will not be relevant as control is being provided (check label for duration of control), however, after 21 days start to re-monitor GreenCast© for possible follow up applications. An example of the use of GreenCast© for monitoring Fusarium and it's influence on fungicide application is illustrated below.
Using GreenCast forecasts to time applications
Note as the visual appearance of any disease in turf will often be the result of an infection that occurred maybe 3 - 7 days previously, always compare disease appearance on the course with the previous weeks' forecast in GreenCast© .