GrowDoc App Inc.

Challenge:

GrowDoc is a mobile app company utilizing artificial intelligence systems for rapid identification of causes of unhealthy cannabis plants.  Whether a plant is wilting or showing symptoms on the leaves, GrowDoc will be there to determine the cause and tell the user what needs to be done to fix it.

In order to develop the GrowDoc mobile application, photo and video documentation of common nutrient deficiencies is required. To produce these images, nutrient deficiency studies are needed and must be conducted in a controlled environment, with procedures that allow these studies to be replicated in the future. Such trials are challenging for GrowDoc to conduct in-house as it requires substantial equipment and processes to ensure the experiment is controlled with very minimal variables.

Solution:

As a course-based project, Niagara College carried out growing trials removing only one nutrient at a time from the nutrient solution, and then observed and documented how the cannabis plant reacted. Three nutrient solutions were formulated in the initial project work to remove one common nutrient; specifically, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). A second project was carried out that removed Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Sulfur (S). Visual changes in the plant were documented using photos and video on a weekly basis. The images and videos collected will allow GrowDoc to improve their application AI accuracy and therefore create an improved product.

Funding: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) through the Applied Research and Technology Partnerships fund (ARTP). 

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