Artificial intelligence app helps banana farmers detect TR4 disease

The app can detect Fusarium wilt, Xanthomonas wilt, bunchy top disease, black sigatoka, yellow sigatoka, and corm weevil. Fusarium Tropical race 4 fungus (TR4) has decimated banana plantations and smallholders' crops in Asia and Africa and has now spread to Latin America. Last week, Colombian officials officially confirmed the presence of TR4 in La Guajira province, declaring a state of national emergency as a result. Developed with support from Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the AI-powered tool is built into an app called Tumaini – Swahili for'hope' – that allows farmers to take action quickly, thus preventing a widespread outbreak. The information is also uploaded to a global system that allows for large-scale monitoring.