KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS FOR CROP PROTECTION - THEORY AND PRACTICE

Expert, or knowledge-based, systems were first developed during the 19 60s and since that date they have been applied to a variety of problem s, including crop protection. Their potential to provide expert-level advice renders them suitable for aiding decisions at several points wi thin the overall crop protection system and at least 67 separate syste ms have been developed to solve problems concerned with pest identific ation, treatment prescription and strategic planning. Evaluation of se veral of these systems suggests that they are capable of providing a h igh level of advice and their use may bring financial benefits to user s. Despite this potential, uptake of the technology has been poor and, before this can be improved, further work is needed, not only on tech nical issues but also on the economic, psychological and sociological aspects of utilizing knowledge-based systems in agriculture.