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Agricultural scientists currently use desk- or lap-top computers to perform genomic research with on-line databases provided by data acquisition centers such as NCBI or plant-specific databases such as TAIR. However, these researchers are often located at remote sites, distant from any computers. In this case, the databases can not be accessed and the research is postponed until computers and internet service become available. Recently, the emergence of wireless and mobile networks has made possible the extension of web-enabled databases to wider applications and locations. The research proposed here provides a method to facilitate on-line searching of biological databases used in agriculture through the use of mobile, handheld devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smart phones. The technologies involved include: Web services, WAP, WML, and handheld computing. We demonstrate the application of this technology to a plant-based query and compare the computer and handheld device user-interfaces. These mobile applications not only substantially improve agriculture genome research by simplifying user interfaces, but also provide a convenient, searchable resource in remote locations.