Dr. N. Ray Benson

Assistant Professor, Agronomy & R.E. Lee Wilson Chair|Arkansas State University

2024 Abstract - USING DRONE TECHNOLOGY TO LESSEN FRUSTRATIONS: Modern drone technology may provide a method to distinguish variation in Verticillium wilt resistance even before visual symptoms appear. Georeferenced thermal imagery can be used to measure canopy temperature at a sub-field level and may detect differences among cultivar plots. Progression of Verticillium wilt reduces plant water use efficiency and decreases transpiration. As a result, canopy temperatures will likely show variations related to the severity of disease progression. Thermal imagery may help identify potentially susceptible cultivars before plant stress or Verticillium wilt presents visual symptoms.