Text-message pest warnings for Finns

23 May 2001



Text-message pest warnings for Finns

By FWi staff

FINNISH farmers are using mobile phone technology to help them combat common pest problems.

Early warnings of pest and disease threats are now sent as text messages to Finnish farmers mobile telephones, so no time is lost planning control tactics.

For this season, 30 different warnings are available, including bird cherry aphid, pea moth, carrot fly and cabbage fly, plus potato blight forecasts.

Crop monitoring results will be added to the forecast during the growing season, said Kari Tiilikkala of MTT Agrifood Research Finland at Jokioinen.

The KasperIT service stems from a collaboration between MTT, the Finnish Meteorological Institute and Finnish Rural Advisory Centres.

• Aphid attack warnings by email, FWi, 25 April, 2001
• Communications project for near future, FWi, 17 November, 2000
• E-tools agronomists allies, FWi, 12 May, 2000
  

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