2013 4th International Conference on Intelligent Systems, Modelling and Simulation

JESS Based Expert System Architecture For Diagnosis Of Rice Plant Diseases:
Design And Prototype Development
Khumukcham Robindro#1, Shikhar Kr. Sarma*2
#Department of Computer Science, Gauhati University
Guwahati, Assam, India – 781014.
rbindkmchm@gmail.com
*Department of Information Technology, Gauhati University
Guwahati, Assam, India – 781014.
sks001@gmail.com

Abstract - An expert system is computer program composed of
knowledge base, inference engine and user-interface. Its
technical aspect involves the design and implementation of the
architectural model of an expert system namely the knowledge
base component, the graphical user interface component, the
application component and the database. This paper presents
the importance of the design and development of an expert
system for diagnosis of diseases in rice plants. Further, such an
expert system is very essential for the farmers as experts are
not always available with the farmers and the diseases are one
of the important factors for unproductivity. When a farmer
needs advice of an expert, this expert system would provide the
decision support to the farmer. Here, we have implemented the
User Interface component using Java, the application
component using the Java Expert System Shell (JESS) and the
Java IDE of Netbeans 7.0 while the database component using
SQL.
Keywords - Expert System, Rice Diseases, JESS, Knowledge
Base.
I. INTRODUCTION
More than half of the world's population depends on rice,
which is an important staple food (FAO, 2004), occupying
145 million hectares of land. Its annual yield worldwide is
approximately 535 million tons. Almost 90 percent of the
world’s rice is produced and consumed in the six Asian
continental countries which are namely China, India,
Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Japan. They comprised
80% of the world’s production and consumption of rice.
Over 300 million acres of Asian land is used for growing
rice. Rice production is very important to Asian cultures.
Such an important food crop is occasionally infected by
many diseases and reduces the productivity. For the
identification, a disease is an abnormal condition which
affects the rice plants making it to function improperly.
Though identification of a disease was not an easy task, it
can be recognized from the symptoms associated and
changes in the plant. Finally, it concludes that identification
of diseases needs experience and knowledge of the rice
plants and their diseases. A person can also depend on a
system for accuracy in describing the symptoms of the
diseases and identifying any disease, making right decision
and choosing the right treatment. Keeping the above points
in mind, our main concern is design and development of an
expert system providing the control measures of identified
diseases. The system development begins with the disease
symptoms collection of the rice plant appearing during their
life span from agriculture experts, plant pathologists and
literatures related to the rice plant diseases. Then the
acquired knowledge is represented to develop expert system
using the Java Expert System Shell (JESS).
II. EXPERT SYSTEM IN AGRICULTURE
Expert System can generate the information to the farmers
by using its knowledge base and reasoning mechanism from
human experts and other sources. Thus, it can solve the
above said problem to a large extent. When a user enters the
data of his plantation to the system, the appropriate advice is
generated based on its knowledge base and reasoning
mechanism. There is no limitation on the number of
generated recommendation. Therefore it overcomes the
problem of static information provided in extension
documents.
The integration of knowledge and experiences of different
specialists are facilitated on the expert system. When
problems occur related to the nutrition, plant pathology,
entomology, breeding and production, the expert system can
help the users in identifying the cause of the problem in an
efficient way, thereby consulting a document that handles
the specific problem.
Expert System makes easier for user to identify the
describe symptoms like image bases or textual bases
information as it is very difficult to describe in words. It can
also be integrated with textual database which can be used
for explanation purposes of basic terms and operations to
confirm and to reach conclusion in some situations.
Confirming the diagnosis of the rice plant and the cause of
certain disorder can also be done through image suitability.
The applications of Expert System in agriculture are
mainly found in the area of diseases diagnosis and pest
controls. Many domain specific expert systems are being
used at different levels in agriculture. “An Expert System for
diagnosis of diseases in Rice Plant,” is an application of
expert system in agriculture and developed by Shikhar Kr.
Sarma, Kh. Robindro Singh & Abhijeet Singh [1]. In this
system, the expert system is developed with rule-based
expert system, using ESTA. Another expert system

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DOI 10.1109/ISMS.2013.54
“Developing an Expert System for plant disease diagnosis,”
is also an expert system developed by S.S. Abu-Naser,
K.A.Kashkash and M. Fayyad[2]. The system is for the
purpose of plant disease control using the shell CLIPS.
“Expert Systems Applications: Agriculture”, is also the
application of expert system in the agriculture domain
developed by Ahmed Rafea[3]. “Web based Expert System
for Diagnosis of Micro Nutrients Deficiencies in Crops”, by
S.S.Patil, B.V.Dhandra, U.B.Angadi, A.G.Shankar, and
Neena Joshi also describes application of expert system in
agriculture particularly in the area of nutrient deficiencies in
crops [4]. The system is a web based system using the
ServCLIPS tool.
III. BUILDING OF THE EXPERT SYSTEM
During the course of an expert system development,
knowledge base development is the most important part.
Knowledge base defines the quality of an expert system. In
our system knowledge Base development is taken care with
the help of domain specific expert with JESS. In order to
build a comprehensive expert system, the following four
steps were recommended.
Identify the problem and detect if there is a need
for the application. Determine if expert systems are
a viable solution to the problem.
Select an expert system development tool whether
programming language, an environment or a shell
according to the flexibility, power, speed of
execution needed and the ability of the developer
(programmer) himself.
Create a prototype. Demonstrate the credibility and
feasibility of the prototype.
Refine and extend the prototype. Customize the
user interface.
IV. KNOWLEDGE BASE MODELLING USING JESS (JAVA
EXPERT SYSTEM SHELL)
In order to implement rules for modelling the knowledge
base, we are using the Java Expert System Shell (JESS) [5,
6, 7, 8]. JESS is a rule-based language for specifying expert
systems which can be tightly coupled to code written in the
powerful, portable Java language. Jess is architecturally a
production system executing a rule-based program and is a
scripting language written entirely in Sun Microsystems’s
Java Language. Jess language is therefore a declarative
language. A JESS document is commonly initiated in text
editor, as well as the windows platform editor, Notepad.
Although it can work alone and could be run on the
windows command prompt, it is usually incorporated into a
Java program for functionality. A Jess file is normally saved
with a “.clp” extension in opposition to the normal “.txt”
extension. It comprises a JAR file which links the JESS to
the Java IDE environment. As soon as the Jess is referenced
to the code, it would run predefined instructions subject to
user’s input from the Java Interface. The JESS is typically
run and manipulated on the Java interface. Program codes
675
are usually written for specific functions in Java
environment.
V. MATERIALS AND TECHNICAL METHODS
The technical methods of the developed system involved
the design and implementation of components namely the
User component, User interface component, Application
component (JESS) and Database component (SQL) as
shown in fig.1. The Graphic User Interface (GUI)
component of the system is implemented using the Java
Programming language. We have used the Java Expert
System Shell (JESS) and the Java IDE of Netbeans 7.0 to
implement the Application component and the
implementation of database component is using SQL.
Fig.1 Framework for Rice Plant Disease Diagnosis Expert System
The expert system for rice plant disease diagnosis is
developed using Netbeans 7.0; JESS (Java Expert System
Shell) for the rule/knowledge base and SQL was used as the
Database engine. The JESS file is called in the Netbeans
environment and the Database also. When JESS rules are
executed in JAVA, JESS library files are also to be loaded
into the class path of Java. In JESS two JAR files (JESS.jar,
jsr94.jar) are present. These two jar files should be included
in order to execute a Java file which has JESS commands
embedded in it. Instance of JESS Rule engine will be
created in Java code and instance of JESS can then be
reused. JESS Rule Engine is having Special API to execute
rules.
For creating an instance of JESS rule engine,
engine = new Rete();
engine.reset();
engine.batch("agri.clp");
Here, Rete engine = new Rete() is an instance of Rete
engine by which JESS is embedded with Java and
engine.batch("agri.clp"); is to load the diagnosis rules.
After implementing JESS in Java, the symptom data is
loaded in the working memory.
database = aDatabase;
engine.addAll(database.getSymptoms());
After completing the above processes, the run command
is given and then all the rules matching the facts will be
fired.
engine.resetToMark(marker);
engine.run();
Here, engine.resetToMark(marker); is to remove all the
previous data and engine.run(); is to fire the rules that apply
to the given symptoms.
 The developed expert system provides a simple way in rice plant diseases can be handled by a reasoning approach
putting the symptoms and predisposing facttors based on the based on its knowledge base and it is easy to be accessed by
user’s description. In addition to the abbove inputs, the the users. The results obtained from m this expert system does
picture of the particular symptoms are also integrated to get not only provide the diagnosis of rice plant diseases through
the details about the particular disease annd to provide the a rule based diagnostic approach, but b also shows the future
treatment advice from the system. This systtem allows a user prospects of the application of different sub-fields of
to browse the cases that are similar to the reequested case and artificial intelligence to various infectious disease research.
to compare the symptoms of the requesteed case with the
stored ones. Then the user will choose the m most similar case REFERENC
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