Plant Diagnostic Clinic
573-882-3019

Images guidelines

Image submission forms

The ability to successfully diagnose a plant problem or identify a weed or insect is highly dependent on quality images. Here are some tips to guarantee best results.

It's helpful to use a series of images to portray the range of symptoms observed on-site. For many subjects, it's important to include a ruler or common object as a size reference.

For disease identification

Images illustrating the distribution of symptoms or pattern of symptoms on-site
Images of intact plants showing overall symptoms
Close-up of symptoms
Close-up of any observed signs

For plant and weed identification

Image of plant on-site when possible
Image of intact plant illustrating growth habit
Close-up of leaves
Close-up image of flowers or fruit (include a size reference)
Close-up illustrating other morphological features such as thorns, tendrils, etc
Image of root system

For insect and mite identification

Include a size reference
Close-up of insect front and back
Images of all life stages found
Close-up of injury on plant, structural damage, human or animal response, etc.
Images of other signs associated with insect, e.g. webbing, frass, exit holes

File format

Regardless of the method of capture, images should be saved in JPG format. This method of file compression significantly reduces file size without compromising the quality of the image for on-screen viewing.

Cropping

Use the cropping feature of your photoediting package to remove unnecessary bits of information.

Original uncropped image was 165 KB

Cropping reduced file size to 11 KB

Annotating

Use the annotation features such as the text and line tools to highlight key features of your image.

Updated 3/6/07