THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DEVELOP AN EASY-TO-USE MONITORING TOOL FOR TWOSPOTTED SPIDER MITES (TSSM) USING A SMARTPHONE VISION AND DEEP LEARNING, AND USE THE SYSTEM IN TSSM MANAGEMENT.STRAWBERRY AND ALMOND ARE TWO IMPORTANT HORTICULTURAL CROPS WORLDWIDE. CALIFORNIA AND FLORIDA ARE THE LEADING PRODUCING STATES IN THE U.S. TSSM, TETRANYCHUS URTICAE KOCH, IS A MAJOR FOLIAR PEST OF STRAWBERRIES AND ALMOND, CAUSING SIGNIFICANT YIELD LOSSES. RECENTLY, TSSM RESISTANCE TO COMMONLY USED ACARICIDES WERE DOCUMENTED IN BOTH STATES, LEADING TO REEXAMINATION OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. MITICIDE IS OFTEN APPLIED WEEKLY BUT SOMETIMES WHEN TSSM PRESENCE IS DETECTED OR SAMPLING INDICATES NOMINAL THRESHOLDS ARE REACHED.TO IMPROVE TSSM MONITORING, WE ARE PROPOSING TO DEVELOP AN EASY-TO-USE METHOD TO COUNT MITES ON STRAWBERRY AND ALMOND LEAVES, IMPLEMENTING VISION TECHNIQUES AND DEEP LEARNING (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE) USING SMARTPHONE. THIS TOOL WILL ALLOW STAKEHOLDERS AND PEST CONTROL ADVISORS (PCAS) TO COUNT ACTUAL TSSM NUMBERS MORE ACCURATELY WITH LIFE STAGES DIFFERENTIATED, FREQUENTLY, AND EXTENSIVELY IN FIELDS.RESULTS CAN BE USED TO CHOOSE AND ROTATE MITICIDE WITH APPROPRIATE MODES OF ACTION (E.G., OVICIDE IF EGGS NUMEROUS) AND MAKE APPLICATIONS ONLY WHEN TSSM PRESENCE IS DETECTED OR POPULATIONS INCREASE. THE PROPOSED SYSTEM COULD BE APPLICABLE TO MANY OTHER CROPS.THIS PROJECT ALIGNS DIRECTLY WITH THE PRIORITY OF "ENGINEERED DEVICES, TECHNOLOGIES, AND TOOLS TO IMPROVE AGRICULTURALLY RELEVANT PLANT SYSTEMS" IN THE AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM.WITH BETTER TSSM MONITORING, SCIENCE-BASED DECISIONS TO APPLY CONTROLS WILL LEAD TO IMPROVED RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT, GREATER FEASIBILITY OF USING MITICIDE ALTERNATIVES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN-HEALTH BENEFITS BY REDUCING AMOUNTS OF MITICIDE USED.