2026 Translational Team Grant Award
Principal Investigator
Subash Thapa
Ph.D. Student, Plant Science (Plant Breeding and Genetics)
South Dakota State University
Research Partner
Xinyao He
Wheat Pathologist and Geneticist
CIMMYT
Abstract
Fusarium head blight (FHB) reduces wheat yield and grain quality and can contaminate grain with mycotoxins. Resistance breeding depends on accurate, scalable measurement of field symptoms and Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK), but current scoring is labor-intensive and can vary among raters. At South Dakota State University, we developed a WheatAI prototype, a web-based tool that estimates FHB severity and FDK from smartphone images. In partnership with CIMMYT’s Wheat Pathology program, this project adds in-frame color calibration to reduce phone- and lighting-related variation and externally validate the workflow in CIMMYT’s spray-inoculated El Batán FHB screening nursery. We will compare WheatAI with expert ratings, evaluate FDK in relation to DON where matched data are available, refine models using a separate adaptation subset, train CIMMYT staff, and deliver a formally adopted SOP and interoperable benchmark dataset. By 2028, CIMMYT will use the validated workflow to support international FHB screening decisions.
About Subash Thapa
Subash Thapa is a Ph.D. student in Plant Breeding and Genetics at South Dakota State University, where he works in the winter wheat breeding program under Dr. Sunish Sehgal. His research integrates plant breeding, plant pathology, and artificial intelligence to make disease phenotyping faster, more affordable, and accessible. He works with his team to develop WheatAI, a smartphone-based platform that uses deep learning to assess Fusarium head blight in the field and quantify Fusarium-damaged kernels from RGB images. He also investigates genetic resistance to bacterial leaf streak in wheat. Through his GWHA Seed Grant, he will validate and calibrate WheatAI at CIMMYT’s El Batán FHB nursery with Dr. Xinyao He, helping develop a transferable phenotyping workflow for international wheat screening programs. Subash holds an M.S. in Plant Pathology from Punjab Agricultural University, a B.S. in Agriculture from Banaras Hindu University, and a Graduate Certificate in Data Science from SDSU.
“What excites me most is the opportunity to take WheatAI beyond our fields in South Dakota and test it in an international breeding environment. Working with CIMMYT’s FHB team, we hope to show that breeders can collect reliable disease data using just a smartphone, without the need for expensive equipment or advanced AI expertise. If the workflow performs well at El Batán, it could provide screening programs around the world with a practical and accessible tool to identify resistant wheat more efficiently.”
Subash Thapa
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