A new smartphone tool developed for banana farmers scans plants for signs of five major diseases and one common pest. In testing in Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Benin, China and Uganda, the tool provided a 90 percent successful detection rate, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) has reported.
This work is a step towards creating a satellite-powered, globally connected network to control disease and pest outbreaks, say the researchers who developed the technology. The findings were published last week in the journal of Plant Method.
“Farmers around the world struggle to defend their crops from pests and diseases,” said Michael Selvaraj, the lead author, who developed the tool with colleagues from Bioversity International in Africa.
“There is very little data on banana pests and diseases for low-income countries, but an AI tool such as this one offers an opportunity to improve crop surveillance, fast-track control and mitigation efforts, and help farmers to prevent production losses.”
Co-authors included researchers from India’s Imayam Institute of Agriculture and Technology (IIAT), and Texas A&M University.
Bananas are the world’s most popular fruit and with the global population set to reach 10 billion in 2050, pressure is mounting to produce sufficient food. Many countries will continue depending on international trade to ensure their food security.
It is estimated that by 2050 developing countries’ net imports of cereals will more than double from 135 million metric tonnes in 2008/09 to 300 million in 2050.
An essential staple food for many families, bananas are a crucial source of nutrition and income. However, pests and diseases – Xanthomanas wilt of banana, Fusarium wilt, black leaf streak (or Black sigatoka), to name a few – threaten to damage the fruit. And when a disease outbreak hits, the effects to smallholder livelihoods can be devastating.
