Monthly Archives: April 2019

Sign up for eNEWA – grape disease and insect pest email notifications

By Dan Olmstead and Tim Weigle

eNEWA is a daily email notification system that provides summarized weather, disease and insect model information based on NEWA tools and resources found at http://newa.cornell.edu. Read this article to learn more.

Daily eNEWA summaries contain current weather and grape pest model information from one or more NEWA stations of your choice, delivered at times of your choice. Each eNEWA notification contains the following information:

eNEWA is a convenient way to get a quick overview of pest potentials for your vineyard operation without clicking through the NEWA website every day.  eNEWA is not meant to replace the NEWA website, but it does provide a quick and easy way to know if you need to visit http://newa.cornell.edu/ for a closer look. For example, if eNEWA reports a potential infection event for one of the grape disease models you can visit the model on NEWA to get additional management information specific to your site.

Sign up for eNEWA

Visit the eNEWA registration page to sign up for a free 2019 subscription. You can choose up to five locations in NY or PA and up to 3 daily email delivery times. Contact the NEWA Help Desk if you have sign up questions.

Sign up for eNEWA

Things to know when signing up for eNEWA

  • eNEWA notifications will start shortly after the growing season begins.
  • An eNEWA email notification is approximately 3 pages in length for each location chosen.

Once during the growing season and again after harvest, you will be asked to complete a short survey to assist NYSIPM, LERGP, and Cornell Cooperative Extension improve the eNEWA notification system.

NEWA apple carbohydrate thinning model now improved!

Written by Dan Olmstead, Juliet Carroll and Mario Miranda Sazo

You’ve read about it in trade magazines, heard about in talks, and now it’s become a reality with a v2019 upgrade released on Friday April 26! Terence Robinson has added important improvements to the apple carbohydrate thinning model on NEWA. Dr. Robinson, tlr1@cornell.edu, Professor of Horticulture, Cornell University, along with other horticulturists, developed the Malusim fruit thinning model. The Apple Carbohydrate Thinning Model on NEWA has continued to be researched and now the improvements from this research are being woven into a v2019 edition of the model, improving its precision.

How to Access the v2019 Apple Carbohydrate Thinning Model on NEWA

If you haven’t already started your thinning program, access and use the v2019 apple carbohydrate thinning model using the same dropdown list as the current apple thinning model. Click on ‘Apple CHO Thinning v2019 NEW’.

If you’ve already initiated your thinning program and are using the original ‘Apple Carbohydrate Thinning’ model, continue to use that one. All web browser bookmarks and website access points will remain intact for the remainder of 2019.

Need more specifics? On NEWA’s main menu, hover over or tap on ‘Crop Management’ to show the dropdown list. Then click or tap on ‘Apple CHO Thinning v2019 NEW’. Click the link below for direct access.

Apple CHO Thinning v2019 (the upgraded version), http://newa.cornell.edu/index.php?page=apple-thin-new

Mario Miranda Sazo, Extension Associate, Cornell Cooperative Extension Lake Ontario Fruit Program, provided this summary of the upgrades in the Apple CHO Thinning v2019 NEW model.

  • The NEWA apple carbohydrate thinning model will get an updated look and provide more comprehensive information.
  • The data table will have a column of degree days (DD) base 4°C and will have color highlighting when we are in the sweet spot for thinning (200-250 DD from bloom).
  • The user will be required to enter the percentage of spurs that are floral.
  • The new version will also give a Thinning Index composed of the average carbohydrate balance for the two days before, the day of thinning, and the next four days, providing a seven-day running average.
  • The thinning recommendations will be based on a new three-dimensional lookup table that takes into account DD from bloom, percent of spurs that are flowering, and the thinning index (i.e. the average carbohydrate balance over seven days).
  • The thinning recommendation cells in the table will be color coded to indicate high risk of over-thinning (red), mild thinning efficacy (yellow), and good thinning efficacy (green).

In New York, please direct questions and comments regarding these important updates and changes to your Cornell Cooperative Extension regional program extension educator listed below or to Terence Robinson.

Mario Miranda Sazo, Lake Ontario Fruit Program

Mike Basedow, Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program (Champlain Valley)

Dan Donahue, Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program (Hudson Valley)

In 2020, along with a brand new NEWA website, the upgraded apple carbohydrate thinning model will be implemented on NEWA and replace the original version.

Spring 2019 Rainwise updates

Rainwise Inc. and NEWA continue to build on a partnership that began over 15 years ago. Read this article to see what Rainwise can offer NEWA growers in 2019.

Benefits of linking a weather station to NEWA

The Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA) is part of the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program (NYSIPM) at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, NY. NEWA is a collection of online insect pest and plant disease management tools built to provide growers with short-term crop risk assessments. Each tool or resource uses real-time weather data streamed from 600+ weather stations across the Northeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic United States and can be accessed at newa.cornell.edu.

Rainwise featured products and services

NEWA-compatible weather stations

Rainwise, Inc. offers their flagship model, the MKIII, to customers who want to link with NEWA. Customers connect to their online platform, Rainwise.net, and then send a simple request to the NEWA Help Desk where the onboarding process to http://newa.cornell.edu is completed.

To learn more or purchase a NEWA-compatible AgroMET MKIII flagship weather station, click here.

AgroMET & IP-100 Package

Rainwise.net platform

An AgroMET MKIII purchase includes the following standard features on Rainwise.net:

  • Data feed compatibility
  • Real-time data availability in the Rainwise.net platform.
  • A weather summary page with local forecasts provided by The Weather Company.
  • Basic data downloads in CSV format.
  • Data feed options for Weather Underground, CWOP, PWS Weather, and Weather Flow.

Owners can purchase an optional $60 upgrade to a Pro subscription for $60, which includes the following:

  • Everything listed in standard features.
  • Detailed graph summaries.
  • Data reports.
  • Enhanced download features.
  • Customizable alarms.

Did you know these things about Rainwise?

  • Rainwise, Inc. was the first company to patent the ‘tipping rain gauge’ in 1976. Accurate precipitation measurements are critical for agricultural industries. As of 2019, 90% of all precipitation measurements are gathered in this fashion (Figure 1).
  • In 1981, Rainwise, Inc. invented the first digital weather station for consumers. In 1996, the company invented the first wireless consumer weather station (Figure 2). This was a breakthrough for agricultural applications.
  • Rainwise partners with The Weather Company and IBM to gather microclimate data. Such a partnership strengthens the technology provided to NEWA agricultural users.

figure 1

Figure 1. Rainwise tipping gauge patent circa 1976.

figure 2

Figure 2. Rainwise wireless consumer weather station circa 1996.