University of Southeastern Philippines develops mobile app for banana disease surveillance

Improved banana production and reduced cost of disease control were achieved using the Remote Online Surveillance for Banana (ROSANNA) mobile application.

Developed by the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP), the ROSANNA app is a mobile agricultural disease surveillance system capable of gathering and disseminating disease-related information at a banana farm level. It allows farm managers and field workers to monitor near real-time disease prevalence in the field.

The development of the app was funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) under the Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE) Program. The project was monitored by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the DOST (DOST-PCAARRD).

The app focused mainly on Black Leaf Streak (BLS), Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD), and other common banana diseases.

The project team hopes to improve productivity of the HIJO Resources Corporation (HRC) by minimizing damages caused by said diseases and the cost of disease control. The team also hopes to improve collaboration within the banana industry in Region 11.

HRC now uses the ROSANNA app to monitor banana diseases in the field. Continuity plans have also been discussed with HRC along with necessary protocols for its implementation and expansion to other areas.

System users of the ROSANNA app include the admin, farm supervisor, and spotter. The admin manages and monitors every user account and is capable of making updates in the system. The farm supervisor manages the farm and the spotter. He/She has access to the data submitted by the spotter and provides instructions and recommendations to address the identified diseases. The spotter is the one who submits data using the mobile app. Monitored by the farm supervisor, the spotter receives notifications in monitoring the farm.

The project team says the mobile app will have updates to be carried out soon.

The project was presented during the National Symposium on Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (NSAARRD) and was awarded second place in the Best R&D Paper (Research Category). The award was conferred during the DOST-PCAARRD’s 2021 S&T Awards and Recognition ceremony held on November 29, 2021.

NSAARRD, spearheaded by DOST-PCAARRD, recognizes outstanding contributions in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources sector in the country.