Turf managers can now gain free access to the exciting new web-based decision support tool, GreenCast – featuring up-to-minute disease forecasts and a wealth of turf management information. Syngenta is currently offering all green keepers, professional turf managers and turf consultants a free, no-obligation trial of the full dynamic service, right through to the end of May.
The free offer includes both the standard GreenCast service and the dynamic premium GreenCast Select subscription options.
Syngenta Professional Products Business Manager, Simon Elsworth, believes GreenCast will prove an essential tool for the more effective management of high quality turf playing surfaces. “GreenCast enables professional turf managers to make better informed, proactive decisions for more effective day-to-day management and disease control,” he says.
Key features of GreenCast include:
- Detailed localised five-day weather forecast, updated hourly
- Five-day advance warning of disease risk
- Five day advance prediction of hour-by-hour weather conditions for spraying and other turf management operations
- Historical weather and disease pressure data
- Up to date information on key turf diseases
- Full Integrated Turf Management advice
Although incredibly sophisticated and highly detailed, the well designed format makes GreenCast easy-to-use and enables users to tailor the weather and disease forecast information to their own locality. Mr Elsworth highlights the disease models, used to predict the timing of infection and attack, have been developed specifically for UK conditions.
GreenCast has been successfully tried and tested by the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) and independent green keepers on golf courses across the country. Syngenta Technical Manager, Simon Barnaby, reports that, in daily use, it has been shown to give valuable early warning of impending disease infection, and enable turf managers to apply the right fungicide at the right time – for optimum control with the minimum inputs.
“In STRI trials, better timing of fungicide applications – guided by GreenCast – reduced overall fungicide use by up to 25%, and achieved better control of turf disease,” he said.
“The introductory offer will give turf managers the chance to experience GreenCast for free, right through the important spring management period,” added Mr Barnaby. “We believe GreenCast is an essential component of Integrated Turf Management, which turf professionals will come to rely on as a valuable source of information for all their turf management decisions.”
For access to the free offer with no obligation or commitment, turf professionals can simply register on the web site: www.greencast.co.uk