Infrared imaging for proximal and remote detection of soil-borne diseases on wild rocket

Infrared imaging is a well-known non-invasive technology that in recent years has gained great interest in precision agriculture field. Plants are subjected to a wide range of biotic stresses caused by pathogenic bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and viruses that reduces productivity. In this work wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) plants inoculated with the soil-borne pathogens Rhizoctonia solani Kühn, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. raphani were monitored daily in laboratory by means of the infrared imaging. Plant monitoring was performed with both active and passive approaches. The results obtained showed that the infrared imaging methods tested are promising for early diagnosis of soil-borne diseases by allowing their detection a few days before they are detectable through a visual analysis. These findings open up the possibility of developing new imaging systems for both proximal and remote sensing.