26 April 2011 

A new CropMoniter App promises to deliver the latest disease news as it breaks. The App is being launched collaboratively by Fera, Farming Online, HGCA, and Bayer CropScience. The service is available to all, with a nominal one-off enrollment fee of just £2.99 to activate.image expired

Fera’s Dr Judith Turner applauded the app’s launch, saying, “It’s basically CropMonitor in your pocket; it brings the latest disease forecasts directly to where decisions are being made. No longer will growers or agronomists have to head back to the yard or office to access the data – it’s there in the field with you.”

The new app uses GPS technology to pinpoint user location and then provides local disease forecasts drawn from the closest trials and weather stations. The App currently carries live data from wheat disease monitoring but is expected to expand further to cover other crops in the future. 

Information accessible through the app is updated daily and includes additional interactive features. Dr Turner noted that, “The immediacy and relevance of the data will be a real boon to agronomists and growers in the field. There is an option for growers and agronomists to join the CropMonitor community by entering their own disease sightings for Septoria, brown and yellow rust, they can also view other user’s field sightings.”

New app developed with direct input from farmers and growers

Vicky Foster of the HGCA said the app has been developed as a direct result of feedback from farmers and growers. “The CropMonitor service is arguably the most comprehensive and impartial disease assessment there is and its useage continues to grow, especially among farmers. At HGCA we’re always looking to improve the service we provide for levy payers and feedback from CropMonitor users led to us supporting this App. This exciting development means growers and agronomists can access a large part of the data where and when they need it most.”

Dr Foster also promised the app will evolve to provide more data service provision. “Our aim is to improve accessability of the data, and the App is an excellent vehicle for this. Over time, interactive services are likely to increase and we will be looking to hear the thoughts of growers and agronomists on the full service provision they would like to see.”

The iphone App will be available from the App store from April 23^rd and an Android version will be launched soon.

Bayer is looking to further enhance its support to the industry and suggest this is the first of a number of innovative developments. Sarah Rixon, a spokesperson for Bayer, said, “The CropMonitor App demonstrates how advances in technology can directly benefit agronomists and growers in the field, and we’re delighted to be involved in this unique industry partnership. Like any customer focused business we are always looking to enhance our support services and hopefully this is the first of a number of new initiatives.”

View it in the Appstore at:

Http://iTunes.apple.com/gb/app/cropmonitor/id432519015?my=8