Insect ID is a key piece of the puzzle in learning how to control soybean pests.That’s why the LSU AgCenter’s Soybean Field Guide app could be highly beneficial to soybean growers.

The app can help farmers identify insect, disease and weed problems in their fields with a mobile device.

The app can be easily accessed on a smart phone, such as an iPhone or an Android, or on an electronic tablet, such as an iPad. It can also be viewed on a laptop or desktop computer. Click on http://soybean.lsuagcenter.com to download.

“This is one-stop shopping,” says Jim Griffin, AgCenter weed scientist and the principal author of the weed information. “This app will help farmers identify the weed, insect or disease that’s causing problems.”

Links to congrol guides

Once the problem is identified, the app includes links to the AgCenter’s three control guides — Control Soybean Insect Pests, Soybean Weed Control Guide and Soybean Plant Disease Management Guide.

The app contains nearly 200 photos of weeds, insects and disease symptoms —some that can be viewed at different stages and at several angles. It also includes information about when and how to scout for these problems. “If a farmer is out in his field, he can easily compare what he’s seeing to the photos,” Griffin says.

“This is the first app of its type aimed at southern field crops,” says Rogers Leonard, AgCenter associate vice chancellor. “There is not another one like it in the South, and maybe in the rest of the country. We believe our soybean farmers will find this app extremely valuable.”

The Soybean Field Guide app, which is free, is a website than can be viewed through a Web browser at http://soybean.lsuagcenter.com.

If viewing on a smart phone or mobile device, the app will automatically provide a way to add a shortcut icon to the device screen or a bookmark for ease of viewing at any time.

If people have any problems with the app, they can send an email to [email protected], saya Fred Piazza, the AgCenter’s chief information officer.

“We’ve thoroughly tested this app. But we are anxious for feedback because we will continue producing educational apps. This is the way people want information now.”

“The beauty of this app is that it will be continually updated, and these updates will happen automatically,” says Frankie Gould, the AgCenter’s communication director. “The user will not have to do anything for the updates.”