Precision Ag Case Study
Hyperspectral Imaging Fights Citrus Blight
How can hyperspectral imaging make a difference to precision agriculture? Consider this example of a US project to inspect orange groves, looking for citrus blight disease, which used a Headwall Photonics’ Hyperspec® VNIR hyperspectral solution with an OEM camera mounted on a UAV.
Citrus blight destroys the vitality of trees and can spread throughout the grove. One of the early signs of this disease is a byproduct secreted on the surface of the leaves. Inspection for this used to require a person climbing a ladder to inspect the top of each tree. More often, growers might not know of a problem until trees started dying.
With hyperspectral imaging, this can be seen 300-400 meters above the crops covering a large area quickly (mounted on UAVs), allowing quick action to eliminate the spread and minimise the destruction.
Had only multispectral sensing been employed, this level of detail would not have been available and the correct decisions would not have been taken. Crop loss due to disease, such as citrus blight, and inaction leads to the loss of millions of dollars and the loss of a whole season in many cases.