Faculty Research Leads to AI Tool for Corn Disease Identification

Corn farmers in Malaybalay City now have access to artificial intelligence (AI) technology designed to help detect crop diseases using a smartphone.

Developed by Bukidnon State University (BukSU) faculty member Ms. Jovelin M. Lapates, the Corn Disease Detector App has been transferred to the Malaybalay City Agriculture Office, where it will be used to support local farming efforts.

The app, which applies AI to analyze images of corn leaves, enables farmers to identify diseases in real-time. It is based on Lapates’ research, “Corn Crop Disease Detection Using Convolutional Neural Network to Support Smart Agricultural Farming,” and provides both detection and prevention strategies.

Designed with local agricultural challenges in mind, the app was developed over a year with backing from BukSU administration and the Center for Governance and Management. It operates using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), specifically the YOLOv8 model, and has a 99% precision and recall rate. It can classify four conditions: healthy, blight, common rust, and gray leaf spot.

A Memorandum of Agreement formalized the transfer between BukSU and the Malaybalay City Agriculture Office. City officials recommended the inclusion of a Bisaya language version to improve accessibility for farmers in the region.

BukSU’s College of Technologies (COT) stated that Lapates’ research had been indexed in Scopus, an international research journal, highlighting the significance of AI in enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability.

“This continuous improvement underscores BukSU’s commitment to community engagement and technological advancement in agriculture,” COT said in a statement. “The Corn Disease Detector App exemplifies BukSU’s dedication to innovation, research excellence, and community service.”

Lapates is developing a second version of the app, which will expand its disease detection capabilities and include a full Bisaya language option.

As BukSU continues to champion the integration of technology in agriculture, the Corn Disease Detector App sets the stage for future innovations that will shape the landscape of smart farming in Bukidnon and beyond, proving that academic research can directly translate into tangible benefits for the community. (Raul D. Lecaros, COT Secretary)