Decision support system for coffee rust control based on expert knowledge and value-added services

Abstract

In coffee production, the quality and quantity of harvests depends on the diseases treatment. One of the diseases with the most negative impact is the Coffee Rust. It causes losses around 30% in Colombian coffee crops. Sever-al studies propose the use of computer sciences techniques for the automat-ic detection of conditions that trigger epidemics. On the other hand, the knowledge of experts in the control of the disease needs to be disseminated in a more agile way so that the farmers can make correct decisions to avoid great losses in the production. This paper presents a Decision Support System (DSS) for Coffee Rust Control based on expert knowledge. It recommends the best alternative for the application of fungicides and proposes some value-added services based on the integration of its functionalities with those offered in the services of an Early Warning System (EWS) for Coffee Rust. Our proposal represents a highly scalable and flexible solution for the disease management at farmer level.