Artificial intelligence-powered app for banana disease detection, control

Oblivious to those depending on bananas for their favourite protein shake or breakfast fix, a deadly fungus has sneaked up on banana plantations in South America, threatening the fruit's future. An artificial intelligence-powered smartphone app developed for banana farmers can come in handy to stem further spread of the disease, its makers from Colombia, India and U.S., said. The artificial intelligence-powered tool built into the app called Tumaini – which means "hope" in Swahili- can detect pathogens at an early stage and help fast-track control and mitigation efforts, according to a statement by researchers who designed the application. The app has been developed by scientists from the Colombia-based International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the Imayam Institute of Agriculture and Technology (IIAT), Tamil Nadu in India, and Texas A&M University, in the United States. The tool is being tested on three main banana-producing continents: Asia, Latin America and Africa. It has been tried in Colombia in South America; the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin and Uganda in Africa; and India and China in Asia.