University of León technology exports AI pest detection to France

Researchers from the University of León’s Ponferrada campus are expanding the use of AppPopuli+, an artificial intelligence application designed to identify pests and diseases in poplar plantations via mobile phone photography.

In a recent field demonstration in the Pays de la Loire region of France, more than 50 forest technicians, landowners, and industry representatives tested the tool. Organized by the Institut pour le Développement Forestier (IDF), part of the Centre National de la Propriété Forestière (CNPF), the session allowed French professionals to provide feedback on usability and terminology to better adapt the app for the French market.

The project aims to establish a European sanitary surveillance network. By creating a shared database of observations, the initiative seeks to track how diseases move and how they relate to climate patterns and specific poplar varieties. France currently leads Europe in poplar plantation surface area, making it a critical site for the deployment of this digital monitoring technology.