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Remote Sensed Spectral Imagery to Detect Late Blight in Field Tomatoes

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Abstract

Late blight, caused by the fungal pathogen Phytophthora infestans, is a disease that quickly spreads in tomato fields under suitable weather conditions and can threaten the sustainability of tomato farming in California, USA. This paper explores the applicability of remotely sensed images to detect disease spectral anomalies for precision disease management. We used the indices approach and generated a 5-index image that we used to identify the disease in tomato fields based on information from field-collected spectra and linear combinations of the spectral indices. Field results indicated that we were able to identify five clusters in the image space with small overlaps of a few clusters. Using the identified 5-cluster scheme to classify the tomato field images, we were able to successfully separate the diseased tomatoes from the healthy ones before economic damage was caused. Hence, the method based on a 5-index image may significantly enhance the capability of multispectral remote sensing for disease discrimination at the field level.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Minghua Zhang, Zhihao Qin & Xue Liu

Authors
  1. Minghua Zhang
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  2. Zhihao Qin
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  3. Xue Liu
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Correspondence to Minghua Zhang.

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Zhang, M., Qin, Z. & Liu, X. Remote Sensed Spectral Imagery to Detect Late Blight in Field Tomatoes. Precision Agric 6, 489–508 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-005-5640-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-005-5640-x

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