With the project, thanks to the system that can be tracked through the mobile system named "Artificial Intelligence Based Digital Pest Management in Cotton Production Areas", harmful insects in agricultural areas will be detected on time with the help of artificial intelligence and quality and productivity will be increased with the right spraying techniques.

In the statement, project coordinator Harran University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Plant Protection Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Mamay said that since many insect species are physically similar to each other, beneficial and harmful insects are confused with each other and therefore wrong and unnecessary spraying is carried out.

Expressing that the studies are continuing, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Mamay said:

"Cotton is a product of strategic importance for our country, region and province as well as the whole world. We have developed a project with our professors that will bring benefits to increase the quality of this high value-added product. Since most of the insect species in cotton are morphologically similar to each other, our farmers confuse insects with each other and make unnecessary spraying. It is extremely important to identify the insect species that damage cotton in a timely manner, determine their densities and fight them with an appropriate method. However, according to the impressions we have gained from field studies, both cotton producers and technical staff working in this field confuse beneficial and harmful insects, misdiagnose them and ultimately resort to the wrong control method. Considering that chemists and pharmacists can also be pesticide sales outlets, this issue becomes even more serious. Because misdiagnosis of pests means that treatment and control will be wrong from the beginning. As a result, wrong and unnecessary pesticides are used, resulting in pollution of soil, water and air resources, endangering human and animal health, disrupting the natural balance in favor of pests, pests gaining resistance, and pesticide residues in food."

The project team includes Dr. Emin Tenekeci from the Department of Computer Science, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çetin Mutlu and Dr. Shahid Farooq from the Department of Plant Protection.

Source: Anadolu Ajansı