Sick plants, your drone doctor will see you now
<p>S<strong>potting crops or woodland that are suffering from damage or disease from ground level is notoriously difficult because there’s just so much stuff in the way — after all, there’s whole idiom dedicated to extolling the difficulties of seeing the wood for the trees. It makes sense then, if you want to survey a forest for signs of disease, that you take to the skies and adopt that ‘bird’s eye view’.</strong></p>
<p>To achieve this, a UK research team are using drones and a technique originally developed for earth observation, called hyperspectral imaging, to diagnose damaged plant life faster than has been possible up to now.</p>
<p>Over 3 million hectares of the UK are covered in woodland, approximately 13% of the nation. However, with climate change and non-native pests and diseases on the increase, the UK’s iconic woodlands are now facing unprecedented challenges. But, with the team’s groundbreaking use of imaging technology, hope is hovering on the horizon.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/big-science-at-stfc/sick-plants-your-drone-doctor-will-see-you-now-9aaabdcae438"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>