VetorGEO’s research team has been developing a new detection method utilizing Agrowing’s high resolution 4 and 10 band multispectral sensors.
Agrowing Ltd., an Israeli world leading provider of award-winning AI-Enabling multispectral sensors, and Vetorgeo, a Brazilian start up focused on Agriculture 4.0 solutions, collaborating with São Paulo University (UNESP) announce a significant breakthrough in leaf-level and aerial HLB detection in Citrus.
HLB is considered the main Citrus disease worldwide. The disease has no cure. It decreases oranges’ production as infected trees must be removed from orchards as soon as they are detected to stop the disease’s spreading. Currently, the removal of infected trees is carried out after the visual confirmation of symptoms of HLB by trained inspectors’ teams. However the visual inspection takes long time, it is not sufficiently accurate, and it is expensive and tedious.
VetorGEO’s research team has been developing a new detection method utilizing Agrowing’s high resolution 4 and 10 band multispectral sensors. Preliminary tests were carried out in highlighted leaves using Agrowing’s 4 band 10MP per band sensor. The tests demonstrated the possibility to identify and isolate multispectral signatures of HLB symptoms in Citrus leaves.
The outstanding accuracy obtained in the preliminary test opened the possibility for the development of two disruptive solutions in the detection of HLB: A. The use of the Agrowing’s sensors for confirmation of inspectors’ visual observation (increasing their accuracy), and B. Early aerial detection of HLB infected trees by a UAV (drone).
Dr Kelly Pazolini, VetorGEO’s scientific researcher, says that even if the aerial detection will eventually prove to be only as accurate as the professional visual inspection (up to 70 per cent accurate), it will be a huge step forward.
