A team of Welsh scientists are developing an early-warning system for late potato blight, a water mold that causes nearly $4 billion in agricultural losses every year.
Powered by AI, the smartphone-based application can detect signs of late plight on potato leaves before any manifestation detectable by the human eye appears.
It’s hoped that early warnings like this can help to better secure farmers’ fortunes, as well as the global food supply, as late blight was responsible for three major potato collapses in Europe during the 19th century.
20% of global losses in potatoes are blamed on late blight, which as the name suggests can strike late in the season. Prevention is key, but expensive, and chemical fungicide spraying costs millions, and may be responsible for human health complications and ecosystem biodiversity loss.
The DeepDetect project from Aberystwyth University will work alongside farmers to develop a prototype using image datasets of healthy and diseased potato leaves. The BBC reports that a finished product could be implemented as a national early-warning system beyond Wales, where potatoes are grown across 35,000 acres.
“Potatoes are the fourth most important staple crop globally, and optimal production is essential for a growing global population,” Aiswarya Girija from the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth told the BBC.
“Potato blight is therefore not just a farming issue—it’s a food security issue.”
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