New Research Finds Quicker Method To Detect Coffee Berry Infections – CoffeeTalk

New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has identified a new and quicker method to detect infections in coffee berries, potentially saving global crops. The global coffee industry suffered a loss of over $1 billion in 2023 from the coffee berry borer, a detrimental pathogen that destroys coffee berries. ECU researchers used color and shape separation via L-systems software, an image processing method which mimics human vision, to identify infection quickly.

Dr. David Cook, ECU Lecturer and co-author, said that drones flying over coffee crops would look for what the coffee berry borer leaves behind, like sawdust or debris. This makes it easier to identify the coffee berry borer and help farmers act swiftly and save harvests. If the borer is not recognized, it can spread through various berries from bunch to bunch and bush to bush, destroying an entire crop. This allows farmers to make quick decisions about which parts of a crop might be infested with this particular pathogen and begin treating immediately.

ECU Senior Lecturer and co-author Dr. Leisa Armstrong said that this research could have a huge economic benefit for farmers in coffee producing countries. The coffee berry borer affects coffee in South America, Indonesia, and parts of Africa, and if eradicated, it could save a crop rather than losing a percentage of the harvest.

The software system developed by Masters student Chris Napier uses colored lattice squares to discover the size, shape, and number of berries as part of the anomaly-detection procedure. With drone technology now relying on farmers, they can fly over a particular crop and quickly identify areas effected by a range of different pathogens.

Adapting this technology to many different agricultural crops could be useful in detecting infestation when looking at the understory of the plant rather than just on top, such as grapes.

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