Acute decision making requires accurate information to mitigate risk in producing and storing a potato crop. Unfortunately, sometimes those decisions need to be made rapidly to ensure crop yield and quality. Simple tools, which require little to no user’s expertise or elaborate equipment for rapid data collection, may be crucial in developing a prompt response. Determining the causal disease of a plant or tuber symptom, if transport conditions altered tuber processing quality, or where the greatest bruise impacts occurred in the harvest operation, are just three examples where a prompt response utilizing scientific information can impact quality and value. Validation of decision making tools as a reliable resource requires verifying the accuracy, dependability and consistency of the technology or methodology. Using potatoes as a test model, we assessed multiple pathogen diagnostic test kits for diseases, such as Potato virus Y, and compared results to traditional diagnostic methods. Results indicated kits were reliable, easy to use, and sufficiently accurate. Some limitations were observed but those did not restrict the value of the test. Another project objective was to correlate values from diabetic glucose meters to standard laboratory methods for quantifying potato tuber glucose concentrations. These hand-held meters with disposable test strips proved to be reliable in classifying relative levels of glucose in raw tubers, but initial validation and correlation of equipment and values were necessary. Additional examples of decision support tools to support immediate information collection include use of infrared guns and cameras for determining tuber pulp temperatures, mobile applications and calculators for evapotranspiration, irrigation and dew point, and use of hot boxes and impact recording devices for bruise management. These simple tools provide instant or rapid information, but need to be validated and their constraints understood for proper use within context of the intended technology and situation.

做出明智的决策需要准确的信息，以减轻生产和储存马铃薯的风险。不幸的是，有时需要迅速做出这些决定，以确保作物的产量和质量。简单的工具几乎不需要用户的专业知识，也不需要复杂的设备来快速收集数据，对于开发快速响应至关重要。如果运输条件改变了块茎加工质量，或者在收割过程中发生了最大的瘀伤影响，则确定植物或块茎症状的病因只是三个例子，利用科学信息迅速做出反应会影响质量和价值。将决策工具验证为可靠的资源需要验证技术或方法的准确性，可靠性和一致性。以土豆作为测试模型马铃薯Y病毒，并将结果与​​传统诊断方法进行比较。结果表明该试剂盒可靠，易于使用且足够准确。观察到了一些限制，但并没有限制测试的价值。另一个项目目标是将糖尿病血糖仪的值与用于量化马铃薯块茎葡萄糖浓度的标准实验室方法相关联。这些带有一次性测试条的手持式仪表已被证明可以可靠地对生块茎中的葡萄糖进行相对分类，但是必须进行初始验证以及设备和值的相关性。支持即时信息收集的决策支持工具的其他示例包括使用红外枪和照相机确定块茎纸浆温度，移动应用以及用于蒸散，灌溉和露点的计算器，以及使用热箱和冲击记录设备进行瘀伤管理。这些简单的工具可提供即时或快速的信息，但需要进行验证并了解其约束，以便在预期技术和情况的背景下正确使用。