PlantVillage: A deep-learning app diagnoses crop diseases

Scientists at EPFL and Penn State have trained a computer-learning algorithm to identify crop diseases with extremely high accuracy. The algorithm will be incorporated in a smartphone app to help farmers prevent future food shortages. Crop diseases, which threaten the world's food security, can be fought with the help of artificial intelligence systems. Scientists from EPFL and Penn State University have trained a deep-learning neural network that can accurately diagnose crop diseases by 'seeing' and analyzing normal photographs of individual plants. The algorithm, which is part of the 'PlantVillage' project, represents the first successful proof of concept for disease diagnosis through smartphone photos, and will be used to build an app for farmers. The work has been published in Frontiers in Plant Science . The unprecedented growth of the world's population means food shortage and ecosystem pressure will become global problems in the coming decades.