The mobile app

The two versions of the mobile application of Pacific Pests, Pathogens and Weeds (Android and Apple versions) are available from the Google Play store and Apple store respectively. Both mobile app versions operate in a similar way, each having four menu items:

  • Full Fact Sheets
  • Mini Fact Sheets
  • Downloads – which is about the management of image downloading, and
  • About .. which provides further information about the app and how to use it.
If you are interested in viewing the full fact sheets,  click on that menu item and you will see the three ways  in which you can proceed through the fact sheet search.
 
 
 
1. Browse fact sheets takes you to an alphabetic listing of all the fact sheets included in the app, according to the common names of the organisms included.

 

2. Identify Pests, Diseases & Weeds launches the Lucid key, that operates in the background and enables you to select features of the problem that should reduce the number of fact sheets likely to be relevant to your problem. The four questions you are asked concern: 
* the crop concerned;
* find a fact sheet for specific types of damage or disease, insects, etc.;
* what type of pest problem you have – diseases, insects, mites. etc…;
* what did you observe; and where did you observe it – above or below ground or on water.  

3. The Search Engine is a third way to find a relevant fact sheet for your problem. Simply start typing important features of the problem that is of concern and a list of fact sheets will appear – some of which will match your search better than others. Note that this search facility provides  a useful way to search according to scientific names. For instance, if you think the disease you have found is Rhizoctonia this comes up with 5 fact sheets. In the example shown for a search for “taro leaf blight”, it comes up with 14 matches, including the listing of a fact sheet specifically on taro leaf blight (second in the list of matches). 

By clicking on this second record brings up the full fact sheet and images.