Athens, GA. -- Green Industry professionals often find themselves in the field needing immediate access to pest and plant disease information and plant care recommendations. Or, they need to be alerted when destructive pests emerge in their area. Thanks to a collaborative effort of horticulturists, entomologists and plant pathologists at seven land-grant universities, now there's an app for that.

Faculty from The University of Georgia College of Agriculture & Environmental Science, working with Clemson, North Carolina State University, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, University of Kentucky, University of Maryland and Virginia Polytechnic Institute, have developed the first Integrated Pest Management mobile app for nursery growers, landscapers, arborists, Extension agents and students that includes the major horticultural practices and disease and insect recommendations.

IPMPro will streamline pest management decision-making, employee training, and will make complying with state pesticide recordkeeping regulations easy. The mobile app is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Built by horticulture and pest management experts in cooperation with growers and landscapers, IPMPro was built for USDA Plant Hardiness Zones four through eight, which include 22 states from west of the Mississippi River, east and north to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and south to the Gulf Coast.

“Nursery and landscape professionals conduct business on the go; they truly have a mobile office – often their truck,” explained Amy Fulcher, lead developer and University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture plant scientist. “IPMPro dramatically simplifies day-to-day plant care and pest control decision-making in the field.  It provides a library of information in the convenience of an app, and features real-time alerts to help professionals stay on top of emerging pests and timely plant care.”

IPMPro is like having an expert in the field with the user to:

 Receive text-like alerts for time-sensitive pest issues and plant care - alert date adjusted to location. 

Consult images, pest lifecycle, and management options for major pests of woody plants

Reference how-to information and images of cultural practices.

Obtain pesticide recommendations for major diseases and insects

 Utilize built-in pesticide recordkeeping for documentation while outdoors

 Track pests and cultural practices in calendar view or a chronological list 

Assist in educating new employees and experienced professionals

John Watson, with Common Grounds Landscape Management in Knoxville, Tennessee, got an early introduction to the IPM app. “My first thought was, ‘Where have you been?’ Most of the time we get so busy putting out fires we forget that the best thing we could do is prevent fires,” he explained. “This is just the kind of thing the industry needs. Now we have the best opportunity to head off pest issues that can wreak havoc for nursery and landscape professionals and for homeowners.”

This is the first application of its kind developed in the United States, and it was made possible through funding by the UT Institute of Agriculture through its Extension and AgResearch units. For less than a subscription for non-interactive tools like books and magazines that professionals currently use, IPMPro is $24.99 and is available through Apple and Android marketplaces. For more information on the application, visit http://www.IPMProApp.com. Coming soon for homeowners - IPMLite.

Matthew Chappell, Asst. Professor & Ext. Horticulturist- Nursery Production

UGA Horticulture Department