Proximal Sensing of Plant Diseases

Abstract

Proximal sensing techniques have a large potential in surveying crops for the occurrence of diseases varying in spatial and temporal distribution within crops. Incidence of plant diseases results from crop status, the presence of inoculum, and suitable abiotic environmental factors, and often is heterogeneous in the field. Various technical sensors may be suitable for the detection, identification and quantification of plant diseases on different scales. Thermography, fluorescence and spectral sensors are very promising, but other techniques like electronic nose may be also useful. The full potential of these advanced detector technologies may be exploited only in combination with innovative methods of data processing for the extraction of relevant information. These technologies may support further Integrated Pest Management programs for sustainable crop production.