Remote sensing technology aids Texas A&M AgriLife researchers in finding new solutions to help treat cotton root rot and other critical crop diseases, according to AgriLife Today.
AgriLife researchers Dr. Alex Thomasson and Dr. Seth Murray are collaboratively working on several projects.
“The current ground phenotyping vehicle we are working on allows us to drive the vehicle through a field of corn and collect real-time data,” Thomasson told AgriLife Today.
The expanding technology enables researchers to collect data through the crop’s full growth cycle.
The autonomous phenotyping vehicle can measure the crop’s height, temperature and light reflectance in various wavelengths to determine the health of the plant. This data allows breeders and production agriculture to make decisions through “conceptual modeling and spatial prediction,” according to the researchers.
“We can also look at other characteristics like the drought tolerance of the plant. The data these machines collect will ultimately enable the breeder to make selections from the best varieties and to do so much quicker,” Thomasson said.
This valuable research can also help save farmers money by providing a quick way to detect and treat the infected areas of the field instead of treating the entire field.