UAT students develop CitriScan app to protect citrus crops

Students from the Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas (UAT) have developed CitriScan, a mobile application designed for the early detection of pests in citrus crops. Developed by students from the Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, the tool aims to support citrus growers in Tamaulipas, one of Mexico’s most important citrus-producing regions.

The application specifically targets the black scale mite (Phyllocoptruta oleivora), a pest that damages fruit appearance and reduces commercial value. CitriScan utilizes machine learning models and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) to provide rapid diagnostics. During testing, the artificial vision model achieved a global precision rate of 96.52%.

Farmers can use the app to take instant photographs via smartphone to receive a local diagnosis with a certainty percentage within seconds. The mobile tool also integrates with a web platform, allowing users to register data and monitor crop conditions.