Bob Mulrooney, Extension Plant Pathologist; bobmul@udel.edu
The following article is a news release about the Plant Management Network and specifically about the Plant Disease Management Reports. This resource is valuable to all those who use fungicides and those that recommend them to growers.
The 2008 volume of Plant Disease Management Reports (PDMR), an online resource developed to give growers, consultants, pesticide applicators, and extension specialists the latest in disease management information, is now published.
This latest volume contains more than 560 searchable reports on the effectiveness of fungicides/nematicides, resistant varieties, and other biological controls that defend against diseases of agricultural and horticultural crops.
All volumes of PDMR and its preceding publications, F&N Tests and B&C Tests, contain 5,000-plus reports, covering more than 1,500 chemical and biological controls.
“Many professionals in agriculture and horticulture depend on PDMR to develop disease management recommendations or make better pest management decisions,” said Dan Egel, Ph.D., Extension Plant Pathologist at Purdue University and Editor-in-Chief of Plant Disease Management Reports.
Each one to two-page report consists of a summary outlining trial conditions and results. Test plot trial data, also in the report, includes treatment rates, application timings, and pertinent efficacy data for each product tested.
Users can search the reports by keyword or section. Keyword searches can include product names, active ingredients, host crops, and authors. Sections include cereals and forage crops; citrus, tropical, and vegetable crops; field crops; ornamentals and trees; pome fruits; seed treatments (for all crops); small fruits; stone fruits and nuts; and turfgrass.
PDMR’s efficacy reports were first published in 1946 as a section in the USDA publication, Plant Disease Reporter. In 1960, the American Phytopathological Society (APS) published these reports independently under the title Fungicide and Nematicide (F&N) Tests. In 1986, APS developed a new publication, Biological and Cultural Tests for the Control of Plant Disease, or B&C Tests. By 2001, both resources became electronically accessible. In 2007, they were merged into Plant Disease Management Reports. A full history is discussed in this volume of PDMR.
Users can have continuous access to all volumes of Plant Disease Management Reports, F&N Tests, and B&C Tests online for $45 yearly. This subscription also includes access to other Plant Management Network resources, which include Arthropod Management Tests, a similar publication covering the effectiveness of insecticides; applied crop science journals, webcasts, targeted extension searches, image collections, proceedings, and more. To subscribe or learn more, visit http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/trial/pdmr/.
PDMR is distributed online through the Plant Management Network (http//www.plantmanagementnetwork.org), a nonprofit publisher of applied plant science resources. The Plant Management Network is jointly managed by the American Phytopathological Society, the Crop Science Society of America, and the American Society of Agronomy. The Plant Management Network’s nonprofit publishing mission is to enhance the health, management, and production of agricultural and horticultural crops.