2013 ASHS Annual Conference

Smartphones and tablets are increasingly being used to supplement or replace laptops and desktop computers. Horticulture-related apps for extension are becoming more available. These apps deal with such topics as food safety, geographic information systems, image enhancement, hydroponics, insect scouting, turfgrass management and weeds, plant growth regulator calculations, creating and scanning QR (quick response) codes, house plants, landscape design, plant and tree identification, whiteboard, agricultural retailers, crop protection product information, and industry trade publications. Finding apps can be done in several ways. Search for apps on a specified subject in the iTunes App Store. Do Internet searches for apps. Use apps, such as AppAdvice, Appsfire, apps: Free!, Free App Tracker, FREE AppZ, and Apps Gone Free, to find apps. To get apps, downloaded them to a smartphone or tablet, or to a computer and then transfer them to mobile devices. Apps can be downloaded from Apple's App Store using the app called App Store. Or, use the Mac App Store on a Macintosh computer. For my extension work, I have used the app Zapd to create mobile websites. Mobile websites can also be created using Google Sites. E-books are easily created with the app Book Creator. I have given extension talks on QR code generator apps to produce QR codes and using QR code reader apps. News aggregator apps and RSS Feed apps are used to help find articles, websites, and videos about cutting edge technological developments in horticulture, which are then distributed to clientele. In conclusions, apps for mobile devices provide horticulturists with useful tools for their work.