Two Saskatoon men are developing an app to help farmers detect crop disease and pesticide infestations. The app, Project Beetle, is the brainchild of Rahat Yasir. Yasir came up with the idea a few years ago, but put his idea into action after meeting a Tisdale, Sask., farmer and then partnering with biotechnologist, Cuylar Conly, to create Project Beetle. “We’re teaching the software how to recognize disease symptoms. It’s much like how you might teach an expert how to use their eyes to recognize disease symptoms,” Conly said. The app works via a smartphone’s camera. Users are required to take an image of their crop’s leaf. Project Beetle then scans the leaf image and provides a breakdown of potential health issues on the crop and those surrounding it. Currently, most farmers check the health of their crop by physically going out to their field and asking advice from agronomists. “All of this takes time, which is valuable for the progression of that disease,” Conly said. The developers aim to help farmers waste less, earn more and curb world hunger. “If we can solve the problem of crop disease, then farmers will be able to produce more crop and then feed more people,” Yasir said. Project Beetle is set to be available for android and iPhone download next spring.
