Contents

1. Sun, a source of heat

• Global radiation
• Everything radiates heat
• Night frost
• Cloud cover: a warm duvet
• Ice to prevent freezing
• Weather report doesn't tell the whole story
• Warming the soil
• Covering beet heaps
• Effect of temperature
• Formulations
• Rate of uptake
• Weakest link dictates rate of uptake
• Persistence and temperature
• Insecticides in warm weather
• Persistence of cereal fungicides
• Powdery mildew no lover of heat
• Insects prefer warmth
• Heat soaks into the soil
• Risk of bruising
• Mulch tulips with straw
• Risk of disease
• Soil freezes
• A lot of insects after a mild winter?

2. Moisture, something in the air

• Water vapour in the air
• Dew point temperature
• Measuring humidity
• Frozen lily scales
• Condensation
• Drought symptoms
• Transpiration
• Wind Chill
• Transpiration equals cooling
• What happens to evaporated moisture?
• Dew
• Fungal infections
• Germination of fungi
• Dew comes from the soil
• Water and air
• Uptake of soil herbicides
• Leaf cuticle: a barrier to absorption?
• Selectivity
• Old or young leaves
• Dynamics of the wax layer
• How are products absorbed?
• Oil-based formulations
• Water-based formulations
• The right time to apply
• Adjuvants
• Ideal formulation
• Release of fungal spores
• Leaf wetness and fungal infection
• When to apply contact fungicides?
• Systemic fungicides
• Transport of products in the plant
• Downy and powdery mildew
• Drying equals cooling

3. Precipitation, a gift from the gods

• Where does rain come from?
• The force of raindrops
• Hailstones: like a yo-yo
• Hail damage
• Precipitation pattern in Europe
• Wide differences from year to year
• Precipitation forecast
• Usefulness of rainfall radar
• Sprinkle irrigation and crop protection
• Not too cold
• Precipitation after spraying
• Liquid formulations
• Herbicides
• Herbicide selectivity and weather
• Drying time of a crop protection agent
• Fungicides
• Rain after spraying
• Systemic fungicides

4. Wind, both friend and foe

• Measuring wind
• Wind speed indicator
• The Beaufort scale
• Wind force
• Variable flow
• Boundary layer turbulence
• Obstacle flow
• No wind? Don't spray!
• Right droplet size
• Weight and speed of droplets
• Contact-acting herbicides
• Pesticide coverage
• Droplet size of soil-acting herbicides
• Droplet size of contact fungicides
• Droplet size of systemic fungicides
• Droplet size of insecticides
• Legislation
• Changing wind strength

5. Resources and information

• Don't rely on them blindly
• Potato late blight
• Pest and diseases in vegetables
• Morph-group
• Scab in apples and pears
• GEWIS
• Lower application rate required
• Leaf blight and downy mildew
• DESSAC
• Agricultural information
• Online info
• DIY measuring
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Grass minimum temperature
• Precipitation
• Wind direction and speed
• Measuring air pressure

6. Practical applications

• Cereals
• Sugarbeet
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Oilseed rape
• Maize

Index

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