SISALERT - A Generic Web-based Plant Disease Forecasting System

Plant diseases cause significant crop loss throughout the world. Impact on yield depends on the disease involved, the crop species grown, the management practices followed, and various environmental factors. Integrate plant disease management advocates the use of multiple control measures, including, if possible, a rational system for predicting the risk of disease outbreaks. Presently, web-based technologies have led to great strides in the development and employment of decision support systems. The present work illustrates an approach towards that direction by the use of novel programming languages and technology for the development of a web-based system for model implementation and delivery. The objective of this work was 1) To use generic and modular simulation models for predicting diseases establishment based on weather data and 2) To implement a disease warning system using simulation models and the near real-time weather data acquisition system plus local specific weather forecast.