Iowa State develops AI tool to help farmers identify and remove pests
By Abigail Kurten
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AMES, Iowa (KCCI) — Iowa State researchers are developing an app that uses artificial intelligence to help farmers identify pests on their land.
Pest ID allows users to upload photos of weeds or insects to identify them and learn how to remove them.
“AI is everywhere,” Arti Singh, a researcher and associate professor behind the app, said. “If we are not making friends with AI, we are losing power, our power to do things which we were earlier not able to do.”
The app has been in development for roughly a decade, with researchers training the technology using millions of images of weeds and insects, along with data collected by Iowa State University experts.
And despite ongoing development, one farmer said he’s already seeing the benefit.
“This kind of avoids having to pay for an agronomist to come out and check things for you. You can do it yourself,” a farmer said.
Not only does it help save costs on labor, it helps preserve resources by catching and identifying these pests when they’re young and require less work to remove.
“In a time where we are developing herbicide resistance, insecticide resistance, this is where I feel our app can help us, that it can identify these species,” Singh said. “It can also give management, rather than giving, like, a broad spectrum, just spray this one pesticide or insecticide again and again.”
There is still work to be done.
Researchers are working to expand the app to identify diseases, like southern rust, that impact plant life, but the current version is available now.
“This tool is going to give farmers confidence,” Singh said.
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