MyPestGuide Diseases online is a field guide and identification app that lets grain growers, farmers, agronomists, and industry representatives quickly and easily identify and report diseases of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and coarse grain crops, as well as stored grain and biosecurity diseases.
By using MyPestGuide Diseases online, you are supporting your local community, defending your industry, and protecting the natural environment from exotic pests. Information captured by reports also builds pest incidence data to help direct future research.
How to use MyPestGuide Diseases
Use MyPestGuide Diseases online to compare what you have observed in your crop with a database of potential diseases.
To identify a disease in your crop, click on each filter name and select the relevant crop, plant part, damage, and pathogen. This will reduce the number of likely diseases displayed as image thumbnails below the filter tool.
Click on each promising disease image displayed below the filter to open a window with detailed information about the disease and compare with your crop issue. Click on each heading to expand or contract the information.
To scroll through the additional images in the disease summary window, click on the arrow either side of the image or the dots below the image.
To close the disease summary window and return to the home screen, click on the ‘x’ in the top right corner of the window.
To change the filter options, tap on the filter line and select a new option.
You can also use the search function to search for diseases by their scientific or common name or other words found under the description, lifecycle, damage, and control sections of the disease summary window. Enter the relevant words in the search box and click ‘Search’ for a full-text search of records containing the words. A summary button of your search string will appear above the search box.
To clear the search when finished, click the ‘x’ of each filter/search parameter summary button that appears above the search box.
When you are confident you have identified the disease of your crop or stored grain, you can use MyPestGuide Diseases online to report the disease to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).
All reports are helpful for identifying unknown or previously unreported disease to enable an early response, and for monitoring the incidence levels of known diseases.
There are 2 methods to report a disease:
- Click the image of the relevant disease displayed to open an information card window and click the ‘Create report’ button. This will open the MyPestGuide Create report form. Complete the form, then click ‘send’. The department will receive your report, identify the disease, reply to your device, and map the disease detection online.
- You can also report a disease by clicking the ‘Create report’ tab in the top menu of this page. This will open the ‘Create report’ form. Complete the form, add your images, check the location is correct, provide contact information and details about where and what you found, to help the experts with identification, and click ‘Send report’.
If you do not wish to share your report with the community, untick the box, ‘I agree to share my report’ in the Create report window. This option may be useful to consultants if they are unsure whether their client wishes to share the information.
To view other diseases reported by the community in your area and a map of disease detections, click the View community reports link below. Ensure your computer or mobile device’s ‘physical location’ setting is turned on or allow when prompted, then wait for the green dot to appear. Select the green dot and drag it to the correct location. If you have difficulty seeing the green dot, use ‘-‘ or ‘+’ symbols to zoom the map in or out to your location.
To sort community reports by relevance or date, use the map filter.
Acknowledgements
MyPestGuide Diseases app concept and design by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and engineered by NG Perceptive.
Development of the original MyPestGuide app was funded by the Council of Grain Growers Organisations Limited (COGGO).
The department acknowledges diagnostic expertise provided by taxonomists and other specialists, amateurs, and professionals, nationally and internationally.
Photographers, source organisations and users who share their images are also acknowledged within each image. See the Creative Commons website for information about images that which fall under Creative Commons licences.