A student of Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered agricultural platform that enables farmers to detect crop diseases and receive cultivation advice using their mobile devices.

The platform, named “Crops Doctor”, was created by Modes Chakma, a student of the Faculty of Agriculture, with the aim of making modern agricultural services more accessible, particularly for marginal farmers.

The AI-powered system allows users to upload images of diseased crops, automatically analyses the images to identify diseases, and provides recommendations for treatment and management without requiring farmers to visit agricultural offices.

Speaking about the initiative, Modes Chakma said the platform was designed to help farmers detect crop diseases quickly and obtain timely, science-based advice from their homes.

One of the platform’s main features is an AI-based Disease Detector, which identifies crop diseases from uploaded images and suggests possible solutions based on research and scientific knowledge.

At present, Crops Doctor supports disease diagnosis and management for several major crops, including rice, wheat, maize, potato, tomato, tea, sugarcane, jute, mustard, mango, banana, eggplant, chilli, onion, garlic, ginger and turmeric.

The platform also includes a Fertilizer Calculator that recommends appropriate fertilizer types and quantities based on crop variety and land area, as well as a Pesticide Calculator that helps farmers determine safe pesticide-to-water mixing ratios.

Additional features include a Crop Calendar that provides stage-wise cultivation guidelines throughout the growing season and a 24/7 AI-powered virtual assistant that answers farmers’ agricultural queries.

To support precision agriculture, the platform integrates satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone-based analysis for large-scale crop monitoring, crop health assessment and soil fertility evaluation.

Modes Chakma said the platform aims to reduce crop losses through early disease detection while helping farmers lower production costs with more precise fertilizer recommendations.

“My goal is to ensure that even a farmer in the most remote village receives the same quality of agricultural advice as a large commercial farm,” he said. “By leveraging AI, we aim to protect crops, increase agricultural productivity and contribute to ensuring food security for every family in Bangladesh.”

According to the developer, farmers in countries including the United States, India, China and Indonesia have already started using the platform. Work is underway to launch an upgraded mobile application to make the service more accessible.

HSTU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Enamulya praised the innovation, describing the university as a research-oriented institution that actively encourages scientific research and innovation. He said the university is providing support to the student and reaffirmed its commitment to promoting technology-driven solutions for agriculture.