In 2017, Plantix, a free smartphone app that helps identify plant damage, was introduced to the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, with an extension partner. Plantix was created by Progressive Environmental and Agricultural Technologies (PEAT), a German startup. Two PEAT cofounders, Charlotte Schuman (second from the right) and Alex Kennepohl (center, with eyeglasses), confer about the smartphone app with students from Angrau University. Farmers and gardeners can transmit their plant images to Plantix, which uses deep learning and computer vision to help identify diseases and pests. The smartphone app offers symptom descriptions, treatment recommendations, and potential preventive actions. Photographs: Courtesy of PEAT GmbH. in Deep learning brings speed, accuracy to the life sciences.

In 2017, Plantix, a free smartphone app that helps identify plant damage, was introduced to the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, with an extension partner. Plantix was created by Progressive Environmental and Agricultural Technologies (PEAT), a German startup. Two PEAT cofounders, Charlotte Schuman (second from the right) and Alex Kennepohl (center, with eyeglasses), confer about the smartphone app with students from Angrau University. Farmers and gardeners can transmit their plant images to Plantix, which uses deep learning and computer vision to help identify diseases and pests. The smartphone app offers symptom descriptions, treatment recommendations, and potential preventive actions. Photographs: Courtesy of PEAT GmbH.Published as part of John H. Tibbetts, 2018, Deep learning brings speed, accuracy to the life sciences., pp. 5 - 10 in BioScience 68 on page 9, DOI: 10.1093/biosci/bix136, http://zenodo.org/record/114720