Three of the UK’s top crop protection experts have come together to develop an app for growers and agronomists to share information and advice on pest, disease and weed management.

Croprotect, which is free to download on iOS and Android, has been developed by Rothamsted Research crop protection experts Toby Bruce and Jon West and independent weed expert Stephen Moss.

It aims to build a detailed picture of specific challenges UK growers face as conventional pesticide options are diminished, such as blackgrass populations in winter wheat and flea beetle pressure in oilseed rape crops.

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The app relies on a community of active users to report particular pressures they are facing and discuss crop management based on this information.

Croprotect also has a detailed library of information and recommendations for controlling hundreds of pests, diseases and weed species.

Dr Bruce, the senior scientist who co-ordinates the project, said: “We are listening to the needs of the farmers and agronomists. We know they are the experts for their local fields and we are aiming to provide decision support, not decision making.

“The information on the system can be rapidly updated and is constantly growing.”

The project is funded by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Innovation Club (Saric) which is a joint Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) initiative to support projects that will provide solutions to key challenges affecting the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of the UK arable and livestock sectors.

For more information visit the Croprotect website.