Les animations de l'UMR AGAP : Monitoring Weather Data and Modeling Horticultural Crops in Washington State

8 June 2015

Monptellier, Cirad Lavalette, bâtiment 3, salle 159, de 11h à 12h

The Washington State University AgWeatherNet (AWN) is a network that includes 164 automated weather stations located mostly in the irrigated regions of eastern Washington State. AWN’s purpose is to provide current and historical weather observations from across the state. These observations, along with advisories, weather-data products, decision-support systems, and models, are designed to help improve agricultural production and product quality, optimize resource use, and reduce environmental impact.

Standard AWN weather variables include air temperature, relative humidity, and dew point temperature, soil temperature at 8 inches, rainfall, wind speed, wind direction, solar radiation and leaf wetness. Some stations also measure atmospheric pressure. These variables are recorded every 5 seconds and summarized every 15 minutes by a data logger and are used for crop modeling development and growth.

One of the key distinguishing features of AgWeatherNet is that it not only provides data, but also provides decision-support models and tools based on that data for specific interests. For instance, rainfall on ripe cherries can cause them to split, so growers have asked for text and/or email alarms when more than 0.1 in. of rain has occurred overnight. Additional models include cold hardiness for grapes, apples and cherries and phenology of grapes and apples, pollen tube growth for apple among others.

The grape cold hardiness model can be used to help predicted grapevine bud cold hardiness based on simulations of ambient air temperatures of how grapevines respond to cold temperature throughout the winter. Same concept it’s been used for the development of the model for cold hardiness of apple and cherries which is in progress. The prediction of the final fruit size for apples was based on historical fruit size measurements during the growing season and average crop load of the trees in a block. Daily fruit diameter dynamic model is currently available as a function of thermal time. Phenology of apples and grapes model was also based on the accumulation of growing degree days. These models will be available for farmers in real time and the estimation of the final diameter as well from different previous sizes.

 Since the installation of the first station in 1988, the WSU Agricultural Weather Network has undergone significant expansion in western Washington as well as in the dry land regions of the state. Our goal is to create the best data collection system in order to deliver to users the highest quality information and best decision-aid tools possible.

Contact :

Melba Ruth Salazar-Gutierrez

Washington State University