Meron, Moshe

A computerized information system in pest management allows comprehensive consideration of all components for decision support to control pests, diseases and weeds by presenting current and past infestations and treatment in the effective vicinity, alternatives and cost of application. Such a system also integrates with the documentation required to comply with traceability demands. Previously developed systems lacked the ability to collect accurate and timely data with minimal investment of effort, beyond what is accepted during pest scouting. Such systems were irrelevant in practical agriculture and were used mainly for research purposes, eventually becoming obsolete. This work is part of an endeavor to establish a collection, storage and dissemination system for pest scouting data, as part of a decision support system for integrated pest management. A data collection system was developed and deployed in three regions. The Major obstacles encountered were the assimilation of scouting protocols, hardware failure in the harsh conditions, and lack of two-way communication to provide the feedback required in order to support decision making in the field.