Chinese quarantine officers will be able to identify and manage insect pests and plant pathogens more efficiently thanks to a software program developed at the University of Queensland.
The Lucid program developed by the Entomology Department and the Co-operative Research Centre for Tropical Pest Management (CRCTPM) was developed in 1997 to provide a faster, simpler system for identifying insect pests.
The system uses insect images rather than complicated taxonomic terms, allowing quarantine officers with limited insect knowledge to identify a particular species of insect or plant disease quickly.
According to Entomology Department head Professor Gordon Gordh, the faster system means officers can identify an insect or disease and plan a course of action 'on-the-spot" rather than sending specimens away for identification, potentially holding up cargo for weeks.
A collaboration with researchers from the Zhejiang Agricultural University in Hangzhou, south of Shanghai, has resulted in a Lucid software program tailored to identifying China's insect pests.
Written entirely in Chinese, the CD-ROM is expected to be in place at China's local, regional and national quarantine stations by the end of 1998.
The system also contains an educational package enabling senior quarantine officials to test staff proficiency in the area of quarantine procedures and regulations.
The Chinese research delegation visiting the University includes Associate Professor of Entomology Dr Chen Xuxin and Zhang Jinge Ze of Zhejiang Agricultural University. The project is led by Professor Cheng Jian, president of Zhejiang University and Professor Gordh. The project was established with the help of CRCTPM director Dr Geoff Norton.
'Once the system is in place in China, we are expecting requests for similar software from other Asian nations. Our ultimate aim is to standardise quarantine procedures worldwide using this software," Professor Gordh said.
'The system will foster better quarantine practices in China as it not only identifies the particular insect but instructs officers on the appropriate course of action. For example, fumigate the shipment, cold-treat it or conduct a closer examination."
Insects or diseased plants are identified through a quarantine officer 'dragging" particulars into an on-screen computer basket. For example, an insect's colour may be selected and placed into the basket along with antenna length, body shape and size etc until the species is identified.
'The system enables quarantine officers to use images to cut through what was previously a bewildering array of specialised terminology covering some of the Earth's two million insect species," Professor Gordh said.
For more information, contact Professor Gordh (telephone 07 3365 1747).
