The recommendations for action represent a combination of the Infection prognoses and the documented plant protection measures is displayed. The function is currently a beta version, i.e. it is still partly under development. The statements should therefore always be checked for plausibility by the user.
You can find the recommendations for action at Forecasts -> Recommendations (Beta).
How it works 🧪
Before we explain the display in more detail, we first need to get into the theory. Annoying, but it will help you to understand the function better, I promise.
Plant protection products 💦
The VineForecast team has carried out extensive research for each authorised fungicide and compiled a large database from a variety of sources. This database includes information on the efficacy against Powdery or Downy Mildew, the rain resistance or the mode of action of the product. On this basis, estimates can be made as to how long a product will continue to provide protection against the respective fungus under the current infection forecasts.
Recommendation for Downy Mildew
For Downy Mildew, the first step is to assess whether a product is still present in sufficient concentration on or in the plant. The first step is to check whether the total rainfall since the last spraying exceeds the threshold value for the rainfastness of the agent (in mm). Then it is checked whether the calculated new growth on a main shoot since the last spraying is >450cm² (for mixtures with potassium phosphonate and for systemic agents >650cm²). The assumptions for the threshold values for new growth were made based on field trials and are also supported by research from the State Viticulture Institute (WBI) in Freiburg, among others (see here).
Should either Too much rain fallen or too much new leaf area since the last spraying If an infection event is added, it is assumed that the vine is no longer protected from a possible infection. If an infection event now hits an unprotected plant, the recommended action fails and recommends spraying exactly one day before the predicted infection event (keyword: preventive plant protection).
Recommendation for Powdery Mildew
In the case of Powdery Mildew, the new growth since the last plant protection measure is used to calculate the duration of protection. Highly effective agents containing active ingredients such as fluxapyroxad or fluopyram generally have a higher threshold value for new growth than less potent agents such as net sulphur. If the new growth threshold is exceeded and infections are predicted, VineForecast recommends spraying one day before the end of protection, as with Downy Mildew.
Representation 📊
Symbols 🛡
VineForecast communicates the recommended action using symbols so that you can quickly get an impression of your entire operating area. The symbols have the following meaning:
If you are ever unsure what each symbol means, simply move your mouse over the symbol or tap on it with your finger on your mobile phone. You will then see a small text with an information display explaining what the symbol means.
Summary 🪢
The recommendation is calculated individually for each vineyard and disease. As wineries generally do not treat parcels individually, but treat all vineyards together or, in the case of larger operations, in individual working areas, VineForecast summarises the analysis for all vineyards again at the top of the view.
Quick tip: You can use the dropdown in the top right-hand corner to set the plots for which the recommended action should be summarised. Simply create individual Work areasto filter the list.
This makes particular sense if, for example Young fields or Piwis from the summary.
The date displayed always shows the earliest spraying date, which was calculated by comparing all selected fields.
The following example makes this logic easy to understand:
The dashboard shows the recommendation for Powdery Mildew. Spraying is recommended for 27 May. To find out which vineyards the date shown is due to, simply look at the list of individual vineyards below. Here you will see the symbols described above. For the Vineyard 0001 For example, although a possible infection is recognised over the entire period, this does not pose a risk due to effective protection. Let's take a look at the Vineyard 0004 on the other hand, a first unprotected infection is calculated on 28 May. The same applies to the Vineyards 0006, 0007, 0009, 0011, 0016, 0018 and 0019. These vineyards are also the first vineyards to be exposed to an unprotected infection. In terms of preventive plant protection, VineForecast therefore recommends spraying on 27 May.
Next to the date you will also find a graphic with a percentage display:
This display summarises the current risk for all selected vineyards (to be set in the drop-down menu at the top right). In the image above (percentage display of the recommended action), for example, you can see that 74 % of your vineyards are currently protected and there is no risk of infection. The other 26 % are unprotected, but there is no danger here as there is no infection pressure.
The summary always applies to the current day by default. However, you can change the date at the top left of the map and thus also view the described summary for other days.