FORECAST DISCUSSION: Tuesday, August 8:
*** 3 August Disease Update: First report from Oklahoma *** Our thanks to John Damicone with Oklahoma State University, who reports serious infections of downy mildew in Payne, Okfuskee, and Love Counties in fields of watermelon and cantaloupe. Payne and Okfuskee Counties are in east-central OK while Love County is in south-central OK adjacent to the TX border. Recent weather has been favorable and he indicates the disease is probably more widespread than has been reported. This source region is being added to the forecasts. The trajectory launch point will be Mason, OK in Okfuskee County. This is centrally located and is likely the best spot to represent the infections (reported and undiscovered/unreported) located about the state.
*** 8 August Disease Update *** Tom Isakeit in Texas informs us that the source region near Houston, TX is no longer a problem. The field was visited and there was no evidence of any disease. We are dropping the TX source area from the forecasts.
*** Hot and mostly dry weather will be found near the source regions Tuesday and Wednesday. *** The most likely place for disease development appears to be in southwest NC and northwest SC, where a chance of daily showers has growers at Moderate Risk Tuesday and Wednesday. Growers in southern GA and northern/central FL are at Low Risk today, Moderate Risk Wednesday. Oklahoma growers will be at Low Risk both days, where hot, dry weather is expected.
TK
Images courtesy of Tom Isakeit
Current Sources:
Previous Sources:
Ciudad Mante, Mexico
Colima, Mexico
Houston, Texas
This service is provided by the North Carolina State University departments of Plant Pathology and Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences.