In order to make reliable pesticide management decisions, it is necessary to input real-time weather data into existing GIS packages such are ArcInfo. These packages extrapolate the point input data into areas that are often defined by polygons. It is therefore necessary to determine the areas of influence from these point data. In terms of pesticide application, the timing of the application is a function of wind speed and direction, soil moisture, and the probability of precipitation. Airborne spraying from helicopters or airplanes can cause the pesticides to travel up to 2 miles from the target area; wind information is therefore critical. Missing a target as well as determining an appropriate source area can affect drinking water if streams, rivers and lakes become polluted. The necessity exists for real-time, accurate weather data, and the types of data that are needed are discussed. Knowing, however, that accurate, real-time, areal-specific data are not always available, efforts to estimate the required climate and weather input to integrated pesticide management models are also discussed.
Special Session -- Weather Data Requirements for Integrated Pest Management