Disease prevention is an integral part of crop management. Appropriately timed chemical applications can mitigate yield losses by preventing disease onset, but should only be used when environmental conditions favor disease development. Over-application can exacerbate non-target problems. Weather-based disease advisories take advantage of the close relationship between disease outbreaks and weather by allowing growers to skip or delay fungicide sprays during periods of unfavorable disease development.

Two major diseases that concern peanut growers include peanut leaf spot and Sclerotinia blight. If uncontrolled, peanut leaf spot can cause yield losses of 50 percent or more in one season. Sclerotinia blight can spread rapidly beneath a peanut canopy and result in yield losses of up to 80 percent in severe cases. In 2005, the State Climate Office of North Carolina began working with Dr. Barbara Shew in Plant Pathology at NCSU. Armed with the combined knowledge and expertise, a method was developed to automatically produce leaf spot and Sclerotinia advisories each morning. These advisories are forwarded to County Extension Agents for dissemination to growers. A website was also developed to provide more details and visualization — below you will find a few images of the output from this site.

To gain access these peanut products, please contact Dr. Barbara Shew.