In 2011 CORESTA proposed a cooperation project with the French National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) to translate their e-Phytia® tabac website into English. This website contains diagnostic and advice tools to recognise the symptoms, signs or pests observed on diseased tobacco plants, all organised in detailed fact sheets.

The Diagnostic Expert System Translation (DEXT) Task Force was launched. Once the translation was finished and all the proof reading done by some very generous CORESTA experts from American universities, namely from North Carolina State University (NCSU) and University of Kentucky (UKy), the e-Phytia® tobacco website went live online and at the same time a mobile application called Di@gnoplant Tobacco® was created for smartphones and tablets. The DEXT Task Force, having completed its work, was disbanded in 2013.

However, most of the information was related to French data. Further to the interest shown by agronomists and phytopathologists in other parts of the world, a new Task Force was created in June 2013 and named "Extended Diagnostic Expert System (XDES)", with the purpose to build a continuum of already accessible data and to add new information. In view of the extension of information collection worldwide, the Task Force was changed to a Sub-Group in 2017.

Purpose

In order to share knowledge on tobacco diseases, international data on plant diseases (such as pictures, descriptions, diagnostic, available treatments, etc.) was collected and formatted for upload on the e-Phytia® tobacco website and related portable applications.

The relevance and interest of the new data was discussed on a case by case basis with INRAe and CORESTA experts, and all new information checked by native English speaking reviewers.

Achievements

• Additional information on U.S. situation was provided by Mina Mila, NCSU, concerning Blue Mould, Fusarium Wilt, Bacterial Wilt of Tobacco, Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV), Damping-off (Sore Shin, Target Spot), Black Shank, Stem Rot (Athelia Stem Rot, Southern Stem Blight), and was added to the e-Phytia® website and Di@gnoplant Tobacco application.
• A new section called Seedlings was translated from French and added to the e-Phytia® website and Di@gnoplant Tobacco application in the Diagnosis section by image.
• The e-Phytia® tobacco website and the application was translated into Portuguese for Brazilian tobacco stakeholders.

Work

Both DEXT and XDES Task Forces reflect CORESTA’s will to exceed the boundaries of disciplines and organisations. The common goal of all participants was to allow INRA researchers the opportunity to offer Di@gnoplant-Tobacco® to the international public (Di@gnoplant-Tobacco® is their first and only application translated into English), and to permit other organisations and contributors to add their own valuable data to this application. Brazilian farmers can now gain immediate access via smartphone or tablet to research knowledge and expertise in plant protection with the Portuguese version of Di@gnoPlant® Tabaco.

The Extended Diagnostic Expert System (XDES) Sub-Group completed its work and was disbanded in November 2023.

Web links

e-Phytia® tobacco website

Di@gnoplant Tobacco freely available on Google Play and App Store

CORESTA Press Release: Di@gnoplant Tobacco (May 2013)