IPHONE AND IPAD APPS FOR EXTENSION^©

Abstract contains full article
Smartphones and tablets are increasingly being used to supplement or replace laptops and desktop computers. Horticulture-related applications (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 and weed management
• 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
• 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 web sites. 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 conclusion, apps for mobile devices provide horticulturists with useful tools for their work.