Yuma professor wants to incorporate AI technologies to improve crop production
YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — Arizona Western College (AWC) is leading research efforts in the state to improve crop production using artificial intelligence.
The college’s new interim director of agriculture, Hikmet Budak, is working on developing these new learning technologies for students.
Budak, who specializes in plant genetics, developed the first genetics course for students at AWC and the Northern Arizona University - Yuma campus.
He’s now researching the latest practices and technologies to improve food production and believes artificial intelligence can help solve many of the problems in the AG industry.
“A.I. is just artificial intelligence. Two things that we can do; number one: we can detect the disease in plant species early on and then we can prevent the diseases so we can have enough yield and better yield,” he said.
He said local farmers could benefit from the technology.
“In lettuce, there is a fusarium here in Yuma. It’s a big issue,” Budak explained.
He said it’s as simple as taking a drone photo of a lettuce field and having A.I. compare it to diseases in its database.
“Think about cancer in a human being and if you catch it early on, it’s possible to eliminate or prevent the cancer. It’s the same in plant species as well,” said Budak.
Budak is currently working with the University of Arizona’s data science institute in Tucson to develop an A.I. machine learning tool. He’ll develop that program in Yuma, which will be the first of its kind.
“We really need to work hard and bring all the new tools and technologies to improve food production. It is just critical currently because of climate change as well,” he said.
Budack hopes to have an introductory course in A.I. up and running by the spring semester.
“I’m still working on that... reading every day what new things are coming for agriculture,” he said.
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