Spectrum Technologies Launches Updated GreenIndex+ App

Spectrum Technologies recently announced the launch of a revised version of the FieldScout GreenIndex+ plant health app, available on iOS devices version 6.0 and above.

The app utilizes the power of a smartphone or other smart device to capture differences in relative greenness between corn leaves, allowing users to make valuable decisions regarding fertilization in the V6 growth stage and beyond. As the chlorophyll pigment is what gives a plant its green color, measurements of the greenness of plant leaves can be used to help determine the overall health of the plant.

Measurements generated using the Dark Green Color Index (DGCI) are converted to relative SPAD measurements for ease of use by growers familiar with SPAD tools. The product provides a more affordable alternative to alternate methods of obtaining greenness measurements.

By utilizing the new averaging feature, growers can easily obtain and compare greenness levels across field samples and compare them with samples obtained from a high-nitrogen test strip.

Additional enhancements include the ability to use widely-established nitrogen recommendation models developed by Iowa State and Penn State universities to generate fertilizer recommendations. The user can select whether the nitrogen recommendations are in metric or imperial units.

Jacob Madden, Director of Marketing at Spectrum, commented, "The modifications to the GreenIndex+ app are very exciting, as they allow users to more easily use research-based models to help determine appropriate fertilizer requirements for increased yields and quality. We listened to feedback from our customer base and responded with user-friendly enhancements that are relevant to their operations"

Adam Rusciolelli, VP of Product Development, added, "The eyes are very subjective and often cannot detect the subtle changes in greenness that might impact decisions regarding how much nitrogen to apply. Using objective measurement data is the first step to making smarter decisions."

The app also has a general setting for detecting and monitoring changes in greenness across other types of plant leaves. All data is logged and geo-referenced, and can be emailed to a personal computer for further analysis. The app upgrade also includes the ability to open log files directly into Microsoft Excel.

Users who already own the app on smart devices equipped with iOS version 6.0 or later can simply accept the push update to upgrade the app. New users are able to purchase the app directly from the iTunes store, and the associated color reference board directly from Spectrum Technologies.