PATHMAP (Pathogen And Tree fruit Health MAP): A smart phone app and interactive dashboard to record and map tree fruit diseases, disorders, and insect pests

Authors: Jurick, Wayne; MESSINGER, LINDSEY - Colorado State University; WALLIS, ANNA - Michigan State University; PETER, KARI - Pennsylvania State University; VILLANI, SARA - North Carolina State University; BRADSHAW, MICHAEL - Harvard University; BARTHOLOMEW, HOLLY - Orise Fellow; Buser, Michael; ACIMOVIC, SRDJAN - Virginia Tech; Fonseca, Jorge; COX, KERIK - Cornell University

Submitted to: PhytoFrontiers
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/5/2022
Publication Date: 7/6/2022
Citation: Jurick II, W.M., Messinger, L., Wallis, A., Peter, K.A., Villani, S.M., Bradshaw, M.J., Bartholomew, H.P., Buser, M.D., Acimovic, S.G., Fonseca, J.M., Cox, K.D. 2022. PATHMAP (Pathogen And Tree fruit Health MAP): A smart phone app and interactive dashboard to record and map tree fruit diseases, disorders, and insect pests. PhytoFrontiers. 2(4):331-338. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-06-22-0070-TA.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-06-22-0070-TA

Interpretive Summary: Fruit quality deterioration and losses are attributed to disease, insect pests, and physiological factors. Data each year is collected regarding quality reduction in the United States, yet no central repository has been developed to date. PATHMAP was created as a mobile method of symptom tracking via an easy-to-use smart phone app interface that can be used in the field and in storage. Through user uploads, mapping of factors that reduce fruit quality (e.g. disease, pest, etc.) can be visualized in the dashboard. More importantly, through archiving this information, users can access the data for tracking purposes and developing predictive models for diseases, pests and physiological disorders. As an open access app, PATHMap will be available for all users within the agricultural industry, including scientists, specialists, and extension agents. The ultimate goal of this app is to provide a user friendly, easily accessible, informative resource to help predict future fruit damaging factors to maintain quality.

Technical Abstract: PATHMAP (Pathogen And Tree fruit Health Map) is a smart phone application (app) and interactive dashboard developed specifically for support specialists, extension personnel, and university scientists supporting the tree fruit industry. The PATHMAP app collects detailed information about observed diseases, insect pests, and disorders and the option for attaching photos. The data is then visualized using a graphical interface dashboard displaying an interactive color-coded map. Prior to the development of PATHMAP, abundant tree fruit disorder data was collected each year, but a central interactive repository for archiving data and facilitating communication of field observations did not exist. PATHMAP has been beta-tested by university extension personnel, private consultants, and university scientists to ensure usability and functionality. PATHMAP will be used within the tree fruit industry for monitoring known pest patterns, occurrences, and outbreaks of emerging pathogens. It will augment existing extension diagnosis listservs which have value in visual diagnosis and diagnostic aid but are cumbersome and have no archiving capabilities. Data obtained through the tool can be used in epidemiological meta-analyses, to develop new predictive models, and can serve as a platform to track emerging pathogens, insects, and disorders for a variety of cropping systems.