Between now and next Tuesday (Aug 18th) while I’m walking peanut fields I’ll also be collecting data for Dr. Scott Monfort on the prevalence of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV).
If you have any field(s) you want me to look at, please call or text (229-417-7062) and direct me to the location(s). So to not skew data I’m targeting fields in which we don’t know or suspect a certain infestation level.
Scouting visually for this disease can be accomplished by sampling 4-5 50′ randomly measured transects in a field and using a “hit-stick” like pictured below.
The stick’s base is 12″ pvc perpendicular to the handle. Any TSWV symptomology within that foot is a “hit,” so in each 50′ section you can have 50 hits. You can also partition up the data into “half-hits” too. Then you can divide and have a ratio that represents an estimated % occurrence of the disease in the sampled field. Not perfect, but a sampling methods that gives us an idea of how wide-spread TSWV is.
Thanks.
Best Wishes,
Joshua Grant
229-417-7062