Estimation of Leaf Wetness Duration Using Empirical Models in Northwestern Costa Rica

Implementation of disease-warning systems often results in substantial reduction of spray frequency (Lorente et al., 2000; Madden et al., 2000). This change reduces the burden of pesticide sprays on the environment and can also delay the development of fungicide and bactericide resistance. To assess the risk of outbreaks of many foliar diseases, it is important to quantify leaf wetness duration(LWD) since activities of foliar pathogen depend on the presence of free water on host crop surface for sufficient periods of time to allow infection to occur.(omitted)