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Funded Project |
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Funding Program:
IPM Enhancement Grants |
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Project Title:
Streamlining and Advancing the Smartphone 'MyIPM' App Series |
Project Directors (PDs):
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Lead State: GA Lead Organization: The University of Georgia |
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Cooperating State(s):
Massachusetts, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina |
| Undesignated Funding: $37,037 |
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Start Date: Mar-01-2017 End Date: Feb-28-2018 |
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Pests Involved: Various |
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Site/Commodity: Various Fruit Crops |
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Area of Emphasis: IPM smartphone application |
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Summary:
While important for the sustainability of agriculture, implementation of IPM tactics is often easier said than done. For example, combining the IPM principles of monitoring and identification of pests with effective control measures seems simple enough, but the ever-changing pest complex and pesticide regulations can make adopting these practices challenging. Producers are in need of tools to rapidly diagnose pests in the field, to navigate the vast active ingredients and trade names available for pest management, to mitigate pesticide resistance, and to understand pest biology and management options. Thus, in 2014, we introduced a smartphone app to help strawberry and peach producers in South Carolina and Georgia understand and implement IPM principles. The app was provided free of charge and the response has been overwhelmingly positive from producers, agents, and fellow specialists.
Recognizing the value of the product and potential to be a major IPM tool, three apps were developed to include other crops and other disciplines (insect pests). With these apps producers now have to use multiple apps, which has created frustration, limited user-friendliness, and provided challenges for the developers. Additionally, producers have been asking for the inclusion of tree insect pests and mitigation strategies for pesticide resistance. Thus, we propose to merge content from the three applications into one app to feature insect pests and diseases, complete the inclusion of insect pests for peaches and add pests for apple, pear, cherry, and cranberries, and implement features to facilitate dissemination of science-based resistance management strategies. We will add a resistance management feature to the app that will suggest follow up sprays considering rotation or mixtures of chemistries. Through the combination of apps and the addition of new features, the single MyIPM app open the functionality of the app to a wider audience, which will increase the number of downloads and subsequently increase the number of participants who actively use the app. This streamlined and advanced app will make it easier for users to diagnose pest issues using the app, allowing producers to find and select pesticides that better target pests of their crop while maintaining an effective resistance management program. After a couple of years of adopting, we expect that producers whom effectively utilize the app will see a reduction in pesticide resistance and secondary pest outbreaks associated with beneficial insect decline. As the pest complex changes and new insecticide regulations introduced for U.S. agriculture, the need for IPM is ever increasing. In order to most effectively and sustainably manage fruit pests, up-to-date, in field diagnosis of crop issues is increasingly important. Thus, our MyIPM app aims to to create a resource that is always available and provides current and relevant information to producers growing fruit in an ever-changing environment. The merger of the three existing apps will facilitate insect pest and disease diagnostics and offer IPM advice ‘at the producers fingertips’ in support of the spray guides and extension fact sheets at any time. Objectives: Updated, streamlined single app combining insect and disease pests o A single, combined app will make it easier for users to diagnose pest issues using the app in the field. o A single, combined app will make it easier for users to diagnose pest issues in the app o The addition of pests for more fruits will lead to an increase in number of times the app is downloaded o Updating the app to target a wider audience will increase the number of participants who actively use the app o A single, combined app will make it easier for producers find and select pesticides that better target pests of their crop o A single, combined app will make it easier for producers find and select pesticides for effective resistance management Promote app at regional extension and grower meetings o Promotion of the app at meetings will lead to an increase in number of times the app is downloaded o Promotion of the app at meetings will teach producers about the app and it’s functionality o Promotion of the app at meetings will emphasize the importance of selecting pesticides that effectively target crop pests and how the app can help them with this o Promotion of the app at meetings will emphasize the importance of selecting pesticides that support resistance management and how the app can help them with this Survey app users at meetings about app functionality o Surveying producers will help us understand their familiarity and use of the app Survey meeting participants about management practices o Surveying producers will help us track their pesticide selection and usage for targeting crop pests o Surveying producers will help us track their pesticide selection and usage for resistance management |
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Final Report: |
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Outputs The MyIPM Working Group met October 10-11, 2017 to discuss the streamlining and advancement of the MyIPM smartphone app. During the meeting, the team complete updating pest and pesticide information so that the original three apps could be combined in to one. The new app has updated diagnostic tools, interactive tables, management options, audio from specialists, and resistance management tools. Additionally, in collaboration with the IPM Institute of America, the MyIPM app also includes Pesticide Risk values for trade names to estimate risk of negative impacts of pesticides on the environment. The streamlined, single MyIPM app was released on December 11, 2017. Between December 2017 and mid-March 2018, MyIPM Team members promoted the newly updated MyIPM app at eight grower-oriented meetings (see presentations below). Presenters discussed and demonstrated the features and functionality of the MyIPM app. The presentation, “The New and Improved MyIPM App,” is now hosted online at Bugwood to increase our outreach (https://presents.bugwood.org/browse/view.cfm?pn=00000334). Additionally, growers in attendance of these meetings were surveyed about their familiarity and use of the MyIPM app (IRB ID: STUDY00005879). Data and responses from participants of the survey were assessed to determine how participants currently use the smartphone app, whether it has benefited them, and how we can improve it. In addition to the presentation and surveys, a MyIPM brochure was created and distributed at the grower meetings (see appendix). Initially 500 of the brochures were printed and handed out to attendees at grower meetings. All 500 were distributed by Blaauw and Schnabel at 7 meetings and thus an addition 1,500 copies were made to be passed out by other MyIPM team members during meetings in the following year. Presentations: Blaauw, B. and Schnabel, G. Introducing the New and Improved MyIPM App. 2018 Southeastern Apple Growers Meeting. January 10, 2018. Asheville, NC. Schnabel, G. and Blaauw, B. MyIPM Smartphone App: What's New? Southern Region Fruit and Vegetable Conference. January 13, 2018. Savannah, GA. Schnabel, G. MyIPM Update. North American Strawberry Grower Association Annual Meeting. January 22, 2018. New Orleans, LA. Clements, J. MyIPM Smartphone App Update. Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Conference. January 22, 2018. Dells, WI. Schnabel, G. Disease Management in Peach. Upstate SC Production meeting. January 25, 2018. Spartanburg, SC. Schnabel, G. MyIPM Smartphone App Update. Chilton Area Peach Production Meeting. January 31, 2018. Clanton, AL. Schnabel, G. MyIPM Smartphone App Update. North Carolina Apple Fruit School. February 7, 2018. Flat Rock, NC. Schnabel, G. Disease Management in Peach. Edgefield Production meeting; Clemson Extension. February 19, 2018. Edgefield, SC. |
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Outcomes Since its release on December 11, 2017 and March 31, 2018, the newly updated MyIPM app has had 1,070 unique downloads with a total of 1,034 updates. The updates indicate that users are continuing to use the app after downloading it. Additionally, MyIPM Working Group members Blaauw, Schnabel, and Clements demonstrated or presented on the MyIPM app at seven grower-focused meetings. At these meetings, 60 growers completed surveys concluding that 38 growers had previously used the app and 22 that had not. Of the previous users, 65% agreed that the app has helped them manage pests and 70% agreed that the app has increased their knowledge of pests and IPM. Although some of the respondents stated they were unlikely to download the new MyIPM app, 85% of previous users and 87% of potential new users agreed that they were going to download the updated app. After the presentations, there were clear spikes in the number of downloads. With the conclusion of the grant, the working group will still continue to meet annually to make appropriate changes to the app and yearly updates to labeled pesticides. Additionally, the newly refined and updated MyIPM app has also garnered attention from additional commodities. Extension specialists with responsibilities for vegetables and nut crops have since approached the working group about incorporating these other crops into the app. As such, the MyIPM working group will seek future funding to grow the app with additional crops in order to improve the apps functionality and audience. |
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