The usefulness of any weather data collected is dependant upon the accuracy of the sensors recording this data and the statistical tools utilized to interpret the data. Climate modeling tools enable basic weather data to be converted into more usable information to enhance productivity.
The SensorSentry remote monitoring solution contains a number of modeling tools that convert raw data into information that the user can decisively act upon. This enables more informed management decisions to be made for the benefit of the enterprise.
GDD's are defined as growing degree days. Thermal energy (air temperature) controls the developmental rate of many plants and organisms dictating the time taken to move from one stage in their life cycle to another. Most plants and organisms will only develop between defined temperature thresholds. The lower threshold is described as the temperature below which development of the plant or organism stops. The upper threshold is described as the temperature above which the rate of development begins to decrease or stop as determined by the cut-off method. A cut-off method determines the rules of how the development will slow or terminate when the upper threshold is reached.
GDD values are used to develop season-specific crop growth profiles that can be overlaid on historical templates. GDD's drive a crops' productivity.
They influence many aspects of crop development including:
This data enables precision agricultural practices to be adopted enabling crop management tailoring to enhance production of the following:
With GDD's driving a crop's development, they can be utilized to fashion plant growth templates and predict critical phenological growth stages. These can assist in operational planning and ensuring that pesticides are applied at the correct time to satisfy latest application dates and withholding periods.
The SensorSentry remote monitoring solution incorporates many of the popular GDD models used worldwide and enables historical and current data to be modeled providing information to assist with crop management.