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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Byron, Georgia » Fruit and Tree Nut Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391697
Research Project: Healthy, Sustainable Pecan Nut Production

Location: Fruit and Tree Nut Research

Title: A special issue on phytopathometry – visual assessment, remote sensing and artificial intelligence in the twenty-first century

Author
item Bock, Clive
item BARBEDO, JAMIE - Embrapa
item MAHLEIN, ANN-KATRIN - International Institute For Sugar Beet Research
item DEL PONTE, EMERSON - Universidade Federal De Vicosa

Submitted to: Tropical Plant Pathology
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/3/2022
Publication Date: 2/7/2022
Citation: Bock, C.H., Barbedo, J., Mahlein, A., Del Ponte, E.M. 2022. A special issue on phytopathometry – visual assessment, remote sensing and artificial intelligence in the 21st century. Tropical Plant Pathology. Vol 47:1-4.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Phytopathometry is fundamental to plant pathology and related disciplines. Epidemiology, disease management, and aspects of agronomy and plant breeding (phenotyping) all rely on measuring or estimating disease. Although both, incidence and severity of disease, are important variables, disease severity might be considered a more challenging variable to obtain for visual or sensor-based systems but is crucial to understanding many facets of disease for many pathosystems. Visual assessment has better understood and refined over the last century. Instrument-based remote sensing is more recent: although aerial photography and various cameras were used early in plant disease measurement, the earliest studies reporting sensors being used as proximal tools were performed late in the 20th century. From today’s point of view, remote sensing is a burgeoning field and optical sensors are becoming more sophisticated and more capable of detecting and measuring disease. Nonetheless, visual estimates of disease severity remain the most commonly used method of assessment for most practical experiment situations and applications. The Special Issue presents a balance of review articles and original research on phytopathometry. We believe the collection of articles by prominent scientists in the area will be a valuable resource for those working in the field of phytopathometry, and for those needing more information regarding the state of the art of tools, methods and techniques available. The area is fast moving and will continue to evolve. In conclusion, the resource is a repository of information for those already deeply engaged, and those desiring to learn more about phytopathometry using a range of available approaches.