New smartphone app: Sporecaster, The Soybean White Mold Forecaster

Damon Smith, Field Crops Extension Pathologist, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Roger Schmidt, Nutrient and Pest Management Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Shawn Conley, Soybean Extension Agronomist, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Sporecaster is a new smartphone application designed to help farmers predict the need for a fungicide application to control white mold in soybean. The app, which is free to use, was developed with support from the Wisconsin Soybean Association and Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board. It was programmed by personnel in the UW-Madison Nutrient and Pest Management Program.

Sporecaster uses university research to turn a few simple taps on a smartphone screen into an instant forecast of the risk of apothecia being present in a soybean field, which helps growers predict the best timing for white mold treatment during the flowering period.

To learn more about the app, how to download and how to use it, click here.