Illinois Soybean Center Research Grant

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Last Updated: Mar 27, 2026, 10:18 AM

School of Computing Professor Awarded Illinois Soybean Center Research Grant for AI-Driven Soybean Disease Management

CARBONDALE, Ill. — December 17, 2025

Rapid Identification and Severity Assessment of Foliar Diseases in Soybean by Leveraging Vision AI Models
Rapid Identification and Severity Assessment of Foliar Diseases in Soybean by Leveraging Vision AI Models

Dr. Md Belayat Hossain, Assistant Professor of Computer Science in the School of Computing, has been awarded a $15,000 research seed grant from the Illinois Soybean Center to support a new project focused on applying artificial intelligence (AI) to soybean disease management.

The funded project, titled “Rapid Identification and Severity Assessment of Foliar Diseases in Soybean by Leveraging Vision AI Models,” will run from January 2026 through December 2026. The research aims to develop a novel, multi-task, AI-driven computer vision framework capable of rapidly detecting soybean foliar diseases and assessing their severity targeting field conditions in southern Illinois.

Unlike traditional visual scouting methods, the proposed system will leverage advanced vision AI models to deliver both visual interpretable outputs and actionable disease severity metrics. These capabilities are intended to support precision disease management and enable more data-driven decision-making in soybean production.

“This project bridges artificial intelligence (AI) and soybean agriculture to enable rapid identification and severity assessment of foliar diseases, supporting data-driven precision disease management in soybean production." said Dr. Hossain.

The project reinforces the School of Computing’s commitment to applied AI research with direct impact on regional industries, sustainability, and food production.

“This project bridges AI and soybean agriculture to enable rapid identification and severity assessment of foliar diseases supporting data-driven precision disease management in soybean production.”
— Dr. Md Belayat Hossain, Assistant Professor in the School of Computing

 

Media Contact: School of Computing Communications • socinfo@siu.edu