‘HyperBird’ spots grape diseases before they’re visible
Cornell researchers have developed 'HyperBird,' a hyperspectral imaging platform that detects grape diseases days before they become visible to the human eye. This high-throughput technology allows for faster identification of disease-resistant plant varieties and more efficient fungicide application.
Why it matters
This innovation could significantly reduce global crop losses in vineyards and promote more sustainable agricultural practices through precision management.
HyperBird, a cutting-edge imaging platform for observing microscopic traits in plants, can detect grape diseases – such as powdery and downy mildews, which cost vineyard owners billions in annual losses globally – days before physical symptoms become visible.
The advancement will potentially allow plant breeders to speed development of disease-resistant grape varieties, cue growers to target fungicide use early in a disease’s progression and provide vineyard workers better and earlier information for crop management.
Doctoral student Aliyah Brewer works with the HyperBird spectroscopy machine in a lab at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York.
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