| Abstract: | Near-range and remote sensing techniques have demonstrated a high potential in detecting diseases and in monitoring crop stands
for sub-areas with infected plants. The occurrence of plant diseases depends on specific environmental and epidemiological
factors; diseases, therefore, often have a patchy distribution in the field. This review outlines recent insights in the use
of non-invasive optical sensors for the detection, identification and quantification of plant diseases on different scales.
Most promising sensor types are thermography, chlorophyll fluorescence and hyperspectral sensors. For the detection and monitoring
of plant disease, imaging systems are preferable to non-imaging systems. Differences and key benefits of these techniques
are outlined. To utilise the full potential of these highly sophisticated, innovative technologies and high dimensional, complex
data for precision crop protection, a multi-disciplinary approach—including plant pathology, engineering, and informatics—is
required. Besides precision crop protection, plant phenotyping for resistance breeding or fungicide screening can be optimized
by these innovative technologies. |
