Development of a distance diagnostic and identification system for plant insect and disease problems.

A distance diagnostic and identification system (DDIS) was developed at the University of Florida. The system allows users to submit digital samples obtained in the field for rapid diagnosis and identification of plants, diseases, insects, and animals. DDIS provides an environment for agricultural extension agents and specialists to share information on plants, insects and diseases. Through interactions on the Internet between extension agents and specialists, problems can be quickly communicated and assessed. Specialists around the state can perform diagnosis and identification and provide best management practice recommendations to the users. Turnaround time is reduced from days, or sometimes weeks to hours compared to traditional, manual techniques for submitting biological samples. DDIS is a Java–based three–tier application using Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI) and object database technologies. The preliminary results showed that 27% of samples were positively identified and another 27% of samples were tentatively identified. The system creates a digital image library with associated site, crop, and pest or disorder data that could be used in educational programs, assisted diagnosis, and data mining.