The Cotton Expert Soil & Plant Health app

The ICAC’s Soil & Plant Health app is designed to bring information to the people who need it most — wherever they are, in whatever language they speak. Its primary objective is to help smallholder and illiterate cotton farmers address the immediate problems in their fields and provide training that is based on global expertise but then is customized for local conditions.

When the smartphone-based app is launched, the app uses the phone’s Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine where in the world it is, which tells it:

  • What language to use (the user also can change it after the app is launched)

  • What the local soil characteristics are

  • What pests and beneficial insects are found in that area

If, for whatever reason, the user is not in the field when the app is launched, it allows the user to determine the appropriate location by entering a zip code.

In addition, when it is first launched, the app downloads the prior 60 days of weather conditions (such as temperatures and precipitation) and, based on those numbers, can show the farmer a photo of what his cotton crop should look like in its development on that very day. It can even tell the grower how many bolls should be on the plant!

There are currently two modules for the app: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Increasing Yields. The app has integrated artificial intelligence (AI) that allows the farmer to take a photo of an insect, or potentially diseased plant, and the AI will search its database of xx,000 images until it finds the match. At that point, the app can tell the farmer whether the insect is a pest or a beneficial organism that should be left alone. If a plant is diseased, the app will tell the farmer what the disease is and exactly how to address it.

ICAC member governments have access to the Soil & Plant Health app free of charge; non-members have to pay to access it for training.