ARS | Publication request: Identification of citrus greening disease using FTIR spectroscopy and chemometric analysis

Submitted to: ASABE Annual International Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: November 26, 2009
Publication Date: November 26, 2009
Citation: Hawkins, S.A., Park, B., Poole, G.H., Gottwald, T.R., Windham, W.R., Lawrence, K.C. 2009. Identification of Citrus Greening Disease Using FTIR Spectroscopy and Chemometric Analysis. ASABE Annual International Meeting.

Technical Abstract: Huanglongbing (HLB), also called citrus greening disease, is difficult to detect in plants before visual symptoms appear, by which time the disease is likely to have spread to other nearby plants. An accurate, early detection method is needed to identify diseased plants. Current methods are both costly and time-consuming. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy coupled with chemometric modeling has shown some promise in both identifying diseased plants and distinguishing HLB disease from some other common citrus maladies. This spectroscopic technique is quick, can be performed in the field, and is relatively inexpensive. In this study, plants have been diagnosed as being HLB positive or negative using the previously accepted polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Then they were analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy and a chemometric model was developed. The model was then used to predict the presence of the disease in other plants that have a wide range of illnesses, including HLB, mineral deficiencies, and other common citrus viruses.