CARBONDALE, Ill. — Harvest season is underway for soybean farmers across Illinois. Each plant among their crops is valuable, contributing to their yield and overall profit. A big issue that can eat into that small profit margin is plant diseases — so researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are working toward a solution.
Samuel Singh, a doctoral student in the agricultural sciences program, showcases a robot equipped with multiple cameras that can capture plant diseases on soybean crops. Under the guidance of Billy Ram, assistant professor of precision agriculture, the goal is to collect enough data to predict the diseases before symptoms appear on the leaves and stems. (Photo and video by Todd Duermyer).
Billy Ram, an assistant professor of precision agriculture, and his doctoral student Samuel Singh, are working to design a robot and program its artificial intelligence (AI) models to detect soybean diseases before symptoms appear. The goal is for agricultural machinery companies to use that predictive technology to produce tractor or spray attachments for farmers that are efficient, affordable and easy to use.