USDA Turns to AI to Unlock Germplasm Data

As written by Aimee Nielson in Seed World

A national challenge will ask universities and industry partners to build tools that help scientists identify valuable plant traits faster.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is turning to universities and industry stakeholders to help scientists make better use of the agency’s vast germplasm data.

USDA plans to launch an Agricultural National Science and Technology Challenge later this year through the Genesis Mission and the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority, known as AgARDA. The challenge will seek practical artificial intelligence tools that combine images, field observations, laboratory results and other data.

Those tools could help researchers identify valuable plant and seed traits faster. Scientists could then use those discoveries to develop more productive crops that better withstand disease, weather extremes and other pressures.