Pl@ntNet – New App empowering sugarcane growers to easily identify weeds
Sugar Research Australia (SRA) has collaborated with the developers of a global app, to provide Australian sugarcane growers with a free tool to easily identify weeds and other invasive flora on-farm. Pl@ntNet is a citizen science platform available as a free app that uses automated recognition technology to identify plants, by uploading images onto the platform.
SRA Weed Scientist Emilie Fillols worked with the Pl@ntNet team to create a sugarcane-specific micro-project on the platform, to allow Australian cane growers to easily identify weeds in their crops.Yield losses from weed competition, along with the cost of weed control on sugarcane farms is estimated to cost Australian cane growers more than $84 million nationally each year.
Identifying weeds is crucial to good weed management, which is why SRA developed this online resource for growers to easily identify weeds on-the-spot, saving time and money, and assisting in improved weed control.
How the app works
Downloaded by more than 12 million users world-wide, the Pl@ntNet app allows for ‘micro-projects’ to be added to the platform that relate to a specific industry, topic or location. The app works by analysing images uploaded by the grower onto the app. The app then compares the images to a library bank of images of known, identifiable weeds stored in the ‘Weeds of Sugarcane in Australia’ micro-project.
Search, match & identitfy
Plants that most resemble the species will be displayed on the screen, along with its Latin name and common Australian name. Please note. If the photographed weed species is not in the micro-project, Pl@ntNet will still offer to search for a matching species in the World Flora database. When searching in the World Flora, the displayed common name may not be the one commonly used in Australia. It’s important if a grower sees a weed that they have never seen before, that they are able to quickly identify it. Thanks to Pl@ntNet, this can now be done easily, on-the-spot, and right in the palm of a grower’s hand.
Download & install the free app
The App can be used on both iPhone and Android devices and can be downloaded free via the App Store or Google Play. Download the free of charge Pl@ntNet app now and have a go. Use the app buttons below for your device or visit your app store. It’s also available as a web version. Pl@ntnet and the microproject are accessible on the web using this link: Weeds of sugarcane in Australia: Species – Pl@ntNet identify
Getting started. Watch video
To learn how to use the app, enter the “Weeds of Sugarcane in Australia” microproject and setup your Pl@ntNet account. We recommend you watch this quick tutorial video here.
Once growers are logged in, they should click the ‘special flora’ option, then scroll down and click on the ‘micro-projects’ tab, before choosing ‘Weeds of Sugarcane in Australia’. This way there is a greater chance for the app to identify the correct matching species and it will display its Australian common name.
More information
The Weeds of Sugarcane in Australia micro-project was a collaboration between SRA and Pl@ntNet, and was funded from the SRA Far North District Productivity Plan. For more information about Pl@ntNet visit https://plantnet.life/
If you want to give SRA some feedback about the Pl@ntNet app and the microproject, please email us at sra@sugarresearch.com.au
For more information on the weeds species like their invasiveness, if they are declared in your state or some information related to their control, you can visit: