Biobest launches Crop-Scanner app for efficient biological crop protection

The new app Crop-Scanner from Biobest unlocks fast and accurate scouting for growers to deliver improvements in overall IPM performance. Enabling growers and their Biobest advisors to closely follow pest outbreaks in crops online, this innovative app is set to significantly improve the remote provision of tailored biological crop protection advice.


“Our new app, which is available from May 25th, is a welcome addition to Biobest’s services particularly in these COVID19 times, when social-distancing measures are temporarily restricting working practices in some crops as well as technical visits,” says Linda Bucena, Product Manager of Biobest.

An invaluable IPM support tool, the Crop-Scanner assists with aspect from pest detection to reporting and from exchange of advice to timely interventions. The application works on smartphones and tablets and connects to an online web portal.

“Visits to growers will remain the basis of the Biobest relationship with its customers,” says Linda. “The Crop-Scanner will provide growers and Biobest advisors with an extra tool to monitor developments in the greenhouse.”

Scouting & Reporting of pests

While the principle of the app is very simple, its functionalities are extensive. Easy to operate, growers can use Crop-Scanner’s applications to draw their greenhouse and then pinpoint exact spots where a particular pest has been scouted and to record its stage of development; adding photos is easy. All this useful scouting data is shared with the Biobest advisor, who can follow developments closely. The key advantage is that advice can now be personalised from a distance, to fit the exact situation in the greenhouse.”

Crop-Scanner is designed to be used by growers and other employees while scouting in the crop. All observations are centrally combined and stored. Both the grower and advisor can then analyse this data to develop an appropriate biological control strategy.

Extension with automated counting

As part of a programme of continuous improvement, Biobest aims to add an automated bug counter to the Crop-Scanner app in the near future.