MATE Researchers Develop a Unique Digital Plant Protection App - Magyar Agrár- és Élettudományi Egyetem
MATE Researchers Develop a Unique Digital Plant Protection App
Researchers at the Institute of Agronomy of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE) have developed CropDefend, a plant protection app that is the first of its kind in Hungary. The application helps users identify pests, plant diseases and weeds, and select appropriate plant protection measures. Drawing on years of scientific research and practical experience, this innovative digital decision-support tool aims to provide farmers and plant protection professionals with fast, reliable expert guidance.
Digitalisation has become an integral part of almost every area of agriculture, with precision technologies and smart devices playing an increasingly important role in everyday farming. CropDefend is set to contribute to this transformation by bringing scientific knowledge and hands-on plant protection expertise together in an easy-to-use digital platform.
The scientific foundation of the application is built on the decades of research and practical experience of Dr Sándor Keszthelyi, Professor at MATE. The idea for the app first began to take shape while he was working on a specialist publication released in 2023.
"While preparing the book, I collected a vast amount of professional information and visual material. Even then, I began to see the potential for turning this knowledge into a decision-support system that could guide professionals all the way from identifying plant damage to choosing the most appropriate treatment. Our aim was to make the knowledge accumulated over many years available not only in traditional formats, but also through a modern tool that could be put to practical use," explained Dr Keszthelyi.
The project gained momentum when Bálint Gerbovits, a PhD student at MATE, joined the initiative and the possibility of developing the necessary IT infrastructure emerged. The technical development was carried out by Balázs Gerbovits and Barnabás Nemes.
As the project progressed, its scientific content expanded to cover three major fields of plant protection: entomology, plant pathology and weed science. Dr Zsolt Varga, Honorary Associate Professor, also joined the professional team, bringing additional specialist knowledge and practical experience to the application.
"Agricultural digitalisation is advancing at a remarkable pace, yet we recognised a need in plant protection for an independent, scientifically grounded digital decision-support tool that combines research findings with real-world experience. The experts involved in developing the application are not only researchers but also actively engaged in practical plant protection. Beyond digitalisation, sharing knowledge is another key priority for us. We want to make this expertise accessible to as many farmers and professionals as possible," emphasised Bálint Gerbovits.
The application's database is continuously expanding, providing access to a growing range of pests, plant protection products and scientific publications.
One of CropDefend's distinctive features is its "Plant Protection Insights" section, which makes scientific knowledge more accessible to a wider audience. It features Hungarian-language summaries of internationally published peer-reviewed research papers authored by MATE scientists, alongside concise, easy-to-read versions of specialist articles originally published in Hungarian science communication journals. These materials are accompanied by photographs and illustrations to help readers better understand the findings.
The knowledge base and decision-making framework behind CropDefend are designed not to replace professional judgement, but to support it by providing quick access to reliable, scientifically grounded information.
The project also demonstrates how scientific expertise developed and accumulated at a university over many years can be transformed into practical innovation with direct benefits for the agricultural sector.
CropDefend is now available to download from the App Store and Google Play.
Website: https://cropdefend.hu/
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/hu/app/cropdefend/id6805911866?l=hu
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cropdefendkft.cropdefend&hl=hu