A promising method for diagnosing plant diseases and determi- ning their phenotype

   Traditional methods of early diagnosis of diseases, such as pure culture method, microscopic, mycological, polymerase chain reaction, enzyme immunoassay are invasive and require highly qualified personnel, expensive equipment and are not suitable for their effective use in practice. Since plant health is a fundamental indicator in assessing the phenotype of a crop plant, modern non-invasive methods for early diagnosis and determination of plant phenotype are considered.

   The purpose of the research is to select a rational method for early diagnosis of plant diseases and determination of their phenotype directly in the field of cultivated crops.

   Advantages and disadvantages of the vision method based on the analysis of the changes in color parameters of RGB images of plant leaves; fluorescence analysis, in which the efficiency of photosynthesis is estimated; multispectral and hyperspectral imaging methods carried out by determining the limited or continuous spectrum reflected from the surface of plant leaves; thermal imaging method in which the distribution of infrared radiation emitted by the plant is recorded. The analysis of the methods showed that the determination of thermal energy dissipation is a promising potential indicator of health and the presence of disease. In addition, when exposed to most environmental factors, the thermal properties of plant organs, such as leaf, stem, root, and reproductive organs, change. The reason for the limited use of thermometry in the early diagnosis of plant diseases is explained: false rejection by researchers of the fact that it is a highly organized complex of terrestrial and underground organisms. The requirements for devices for obtaining and processing thermal images are formulated and justified. An experimental setup based on the TE-Q1 thermal imaging camera, capable of working with Android devices, has been developed. Its operation has been tested on garden strawberry samples.

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