Independent Research Project: Plant Disease Classification Using Deep Learning
Fine-tuned a CNN image classifier using a multi-class plant disease dataset to produce labeled predictions across many disease categories. Used transfer learning from an ImageNet-pretrained ResNet18 and supplemented training with standard augmentation strategies. Applied early stopping and baseline comparisons to validate gains from transfer learning. • Trained ResNet18 on PlantVillage images with 38 disease classes across 14 crops • Implemented a custom CNN baseline and demonstrated performance improvement from transfer learning • Added data augmentation (rotations, flips, color jitter) to improve generalization • Used early stopping to reduce overfitting and support robust crop monitoring models