California PESTCAST:
A Weather Network To Support Crop Disease Management Decisions
Request for Proposals:
The University of California Statewide IPM Project (UC IPM), in cooperation with the Department of Pesticide Regulation, is soliciting proposals to identify weather data collection needs related to crop disease model development and validation in California.
The goal of the overall project is to expand the use of computer-based crop disease forecasting in California through
- development of a public-private weather network in support of adaptive research and validation of disease models and
- promotion of crop disease model research, validation, and outreach to encourage adoption of this new technology.
The purpose of this RFP is to identify new or on-going research and validation projects that can benefit from centralized coordination of weather data collection and data handling.
This project is being funded primarily by US EPA, with contributions from UC IPM, the agricultural industry, and Department of Pesticide Regulation. Funding ($180,000) is available to support a cooperative public-private network of weather stations and related telemetry, data acquisition, quality control, storage, and dissemination systems. The network will consist of multiple subnetworks of stations that monitor the crop microclimate to detect conditions favorable to disease development. Stations within a subnetwork will report regularly through telephone or radio telemetry to a central site which is likely to be at a UC Cooperative Extension county office. UC IPM will retrieve the data into its statewide computer system for quality control; archival; report preparation; and dissemination to researchers, project cooperators, and others.
The project aims to work with researchers, advisors, and industry, both groups and individuals, in developing the cooperative network, and the goal is to support work on as many crop-disease systems as possible. Project funds are primarily intended to provide infrastructure costs associated with a research weather network and as seed money to encourage other sectors to participate through contributions of weather stations, on-going maintenance, and other related costs.
WHO MAY APPLY
For success, a crop disease model validation project requires participation by qualified research and extension personnel and the cooperation of appropriate representatives from the California agricultural industry. Proposals must clearly identify collaborations. Only projects being carried out in California will be supported.
TYPE OF SUPPORT
Support will be given for purchase of goods and services. Funds from this project will not be distributed directly to recipients. Instead, approved equipment, software, services, etc. will be purchased or contracted for by UC and made available to the support recipients.
The following are examples of the types of support that might be funded.
- an acquisition system in a county CE office (computer, software, antenna, telephone lines, maintenance, etc.) to collect data from locally installed weather stations
- enhancement (additional sensors, telemetry, stations) of an existing weather network and incorporation into this larger effort
- a weather station to address a special aspect of a modeling project, such as suitability for extrapolation or disease model sensitivity to sensor placement
- one or two weather stations to fill out an industry-supported network.
THE PROCESS AND TIMEFRAME
Three rounds of awards will be made. Deadlines are June 30, August 31, and October 31, 1996. All proposals received by each deadline will be considered for funding.
Preplanning assistance is available from UC IPM to identify weather collection needs and ways this project can meet them, and to facilitate coordination with other crop-disease projects. Proposals will be examined by the network coordinator and calls may be made to the project contact to clarify any section of the proposal if necessary. The Network Steering Committee will review all proposals and make final decisions on awards.
Notification of awards will be made within four weeks of each deadline.
CRITERIA FOR AWARDS
Funds under this project are to be used to further the development of disease models, but are insufficient to meet all needs. In general, we wish to fund requests for types of support that best leverage limited resources. Highest priority will be given to projects that
- request support which will be utilized to address multiple pests in a single cropping system or to address pests of more than one cropping system
- show evidence of readiness for validation or early implementation and high potential for success
- include participants qualified for and committed to carrying out work to be supported
PROPOSAL CONTENTS
In six pages or less, describe the proposed work to be supported by the weather data collection system. Include the following information.
- 1. Title page. Include:
- Title.
- Date submitted.
- Participants.
- Name, address, affiliation, and telephone numbers (voice and fax) of the applicants. List project contact first.
- Crop-pest system(s) to be supported.
- (Although work on arthropod, nematode, or weed pests is encouraged, research or validation of at least one disease model must be a part of the project.) Identify California regions where proposed work is to be done. For each region, indicate time of year when each pest is a potential problem.
- Date submitted.
- 2. Brief description of the project to be supported. Address the stage of the work in terms of readiness for validation or early implementation; importance of the pest; expected outcomes.
- 3. Timeline. What is the anticipated time for (as applicable): completion of research phase; completion of validation; demonstration; early implementation.
- 4. Type of support requested. Describe the type of support requested under this RFP. In general, you do not need to specify an actual dollar amount, but if the cost of an item is known, include it. A call will be made to the project contact if clarifying information is needed.
- 5. Evidence of commitment. Identify personnel and funding commitment for the work to be supported through this project.
- Sources and amounts of additional funding and in-kind contributions for both the weather network and the research or validation work.
- For research and extension personnel, list current and pending funding for this and related projects.
In addition to the above, include the following (not subject to the five-page limit):
- 6. Signatures. Each major participant must sign the proposal to indicate commitment.
- 7. Biographies. Include a one-page biography of participants.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
- Submit 6 (six) copies of the proposal (no faxes please) to
- Joyce F. Strand, Coordinator
- Statewide IPM Project
- University of California
- Davis, CA 95616-8621
- Statewide IPM Project