Ohio State University Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering (FABE) graduate student Sandeep Dhakal was awarded second place in the 2025 Hayes Forum poster competition's food, agricultural and environmental sciences session last week for his research project, titled, “Detection of High Plains Wheat Mosaic Virus (HPWMoV) in sweet corn using multispectral imagery and deep learning.”
The Edward F. Hayes Advanced Research Forum (formerly the Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum) showcases the innovative and exemplary research being conducted by Ohio State graduate students and postdoctoral scholars across the full range of graduate degree programs and research topics and facilitates fruitful exchanges between graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, the administration, and the public.
The forum is co-sponsored by the Council of Graduate Students, the Graduate School, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the Enterprise for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge (ERIK).
Dhakal's research focuses on High Plains Wheat Mosaic Virus (HPWMoV), which creates problems for exporting sweet corn seeds since some countries, like New Zealand, require proof that the seeds are virus-free. Traditional ways of checking, like inspecting fields and running lab tests, are expensive and take a long time.
His study looks at a quicker option using drone images and artificial intelligence to spot infected plants. A computer program trained to recognize the virus from these images was 81% accurate. This method is a simpler, more affordable, and easier way to detect the virus compared to current testing methods.
To view the rest of the 2025 Hayes Forum winners, visit their website.