The app, released last year by Applied Horticultural Research, has been updated to include thirteen vegetable varieties and more than 1,500 high resolution images of a wide range of pests, disorders and diseases which can also be accessed offline.

Veg Pest ID, which is also available in hard copy field guides, focuses on a range of vegetable commodity groups including sweet potatoes, sweet corn, carrots, celery and parsley, baby leaf and brassica crops. 

“Veg Pest ID is one of the latest levy-funded resources available to vegetable growers who want to easily identify diseases, disorders or pests that are a real threat to their crops,” said AUSVEG spokesperson, Dimi Kyriakou.

“The app is more than just a library of information – it offers intuitive search functions, descriptions and current images that have been handpicked to help growers easily identify any problems they may face in the field,” she said. “You don’t need to be an expert in plant health to use this app; simply key in visible symptoms such as ‘a spot’ and it will deliver a range of possible causes for the problem.”

Veg Pest ID collates important information from existing books, management tools, fact sheets, posters and other outputs from vegetable industry-funded research projects in a comprehensive and easy-to-use layout.

“Most of the high resolution images in the app were commissioned by the project to ensure that growers were getting the most up-to-date and relevant information when identifying specific vegetable pests and diseases in their crops,” said Kyriakou. “As growers sometimes find themselves in areas with weak phone reception, the app can be accessed offline, ensuring that the information is always a few taps away.”

“Given how easy it is to update the app, as more information becomes available, it can be streamlined straight into the grower’s pocket.”

The development of the application was funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the National Vegetable Levy and funds from the Australian Government.