IJAER

International Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Research™

ISSN 2455-6939

Title:
ADVANCED DETECTION OF EARLY BLIGHT (Alternaria solani) DISEASE IN POTATO (Solanum tuberosum) PLANTS PRIOR TO VISUAL DISEASE SYMPTOMOLOGY

Authors:
Daniel Atherton, Ruplal Choudhary, Dennis Watson

Abstract:
Advanced detection of disease within crops can help minimize potential production losses, decrease environmental risk, and reduce the cost of farming. The objective of this study was the detection of early blight (Alternaria solani) in potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants at two different growth stages using a handheld hyperspectral spectroradiometer. Hyperspectral reflectance spectra were captured 10 times over five weeks from plants grown to the vegetative and tuber bulking growth stages. The spectra were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and spectral change (ratio) analysis. PCA successfully distinguished more heavily diseased plants from healthy and minimally diseased plants using two principal components. Spectral change (ratio) analysis found optimal wavelengths (505, 510, 640, 665, 690, 750, and 935 nm) which were most sensitive to early blight infection. ANOVA results indicated a highly significant difference (p < 0.0001) between disease rating group means. Comparisons of diseased plants versus healthy plants using Fisher's LSD revealed more heavily diseased plants were significantly different from healthy plants. The results of this study demonstrated the capability of the PCA and spectral change (ratio) analysis techniques for detection of early blight disease in potato plants.

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