Florida FIRST Initiative Project Report
Distance Diagnostic
and Identification System
(DDIS) Equipment Project |
|
Participating Faculty and Affiliation:
Co-Investigators: Dr. Pete Vergot III, District Extension Director, Dr. Tim
Momol, Plant Pathology-NFREC, Larry Halsey, County Extension Director,
Jefferson County, and Jim Fletcher, County Extension Director, Madison County
Collaborators:
Sixteen County
Extension Faculty in the counties of Escambia, Okaloosa, Bay, Wakulla,
Franklin, Leon, Suwannee, Desoto, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Manatee, St. Luce,
Hendry, Putman, Gilchrist and Monroe.
Relationship to Florida
FIRST:
Related Cornerstone Scientific Capabilities: Information technologies
Related Program Imperatives – Plant protection from various pathogens and pests
Organizational Commitments – Improve efficiency in the use of resources, develop extension methodologies that address user needs effectively, develop program outcome indicators and accountability measures.
Extension Design Team Affiliation:
SMP131 – Quality and Management of Florida State Diagnostic Services. This is a new team that has been appointed to provide direction and insure quality of services provided by IFAS. DDIS is a major component falling directly under this State Major Program.
Introduction:
Digital identification and diagnosis of plant diseases and insects in a system that allows effective communications and archiving of images and data has been developed in collaboration of County Faculty, State Faculty Specialists and Faculty in Information Technologies. The viability of the system has been demonstrated by the initiation of a pilot project involving ten county extension offices and nine extension faculties and specialists.
There was a need to increase the equipment available to County Extension Faculty, allowing for an increase in the number of samples as well as ensuring the accuracy of the identification and diagnostics.
Materials and Methods:
Using the microscopes, digital cameras and the DDIS web based software cooperators sent both live samples (as done conventionally) and digital samples. Specialists conducted diagnosis-using DDIS and used live samples to validate the diagnosis. Several educational meetings, including in-service trainings were conducted in 2000.
Project Activities, Products, Impacts and the Future:
Activities:
The $20,000 received from Florida FIRST allowed for the purchase of 15 stereoscope dissecting microscopes, one compound microscope and camera adapters delivered to the 16 Counties.
The equipment for DDIS for the County Faculty assisted in
the diagnosis of diseases and insects was evaluated and reported in Florida
FIRST Initiative Project (1999-2000) Validation of Plant Disease and Insect,
Animal and Diseases Identification and Diagnostics Using DDIS.
Products:
Counties where DDIS equipment has been installed is
posted on the following website: http://madison.ifas.ufl.edu/ddis_equipment_list.htm.
On the DDIS web page http://ddis.ifas.ufl.edu, there is a
feature called "Image of the Month." Each image includes a short description and the author of the
image.
A full equipment list
can be found at the DDIS web site http://ddis.ifas.ufl.edu.
Impacts:
This project created several educational opportunities for participating extension faculty to gain knowledge on plant pathology, entomology, plant disease and insect diagnosis, digital imaging of biological materials and web-based technologies. DDIS provided a tool and resource for educational instruction and practical exercises in In-Service Training of County Faculty.
Digital capabilities and the World Wide Web minimized physical transport and changed the way we communicate for diagnosing and preventing plant diseases and pests.
Recently the DDIS
project was featured in an article in Farm Journal:
Future:
Extension continues to add additional County sites by purchasing microscopes, adapters and digital cameras as funds become available.
Submitted by: Dr. Pete Vergot, District Extension Director
Phone: (850) 875-7137 Department / Center: Office of District Directors
Email Address: vergot@mail.ifas.ufl.edu Web: http://ddis.ifas.ufl.edu