Detecting Grapevine Virus Infections in Red and White Winegrape Canopies Using Proximal Hyperspectral Sensing

Grapevine virus-associated disease such as grapevine leafroll disease (GLD) affects grapevine health worldwide. Current diagnostic methods are either highly costly (laboratory-based diagnostics) or can be unreliable (visual assessments). Hyperspectral sensing technology is capable of measuring leaf reflectance spectra that can be used for the non-destructive and rapid detection of plant diseases. The present study used proximal hyperspectral sensing to detect virus infection in Pinot Noir (red-berried winegrape cultivar) and Chardonnay (white-berried winegrape cultivar) grapevines. Spectral data were collected throughout the grape growing season at six timepoints per cultivar. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to build a predictive model of the presence or absence of GLD. The temporal change of canopy spectral reflectance showed that the harvest timepoint had the best prediction result. Prediction accuracies of 96% and 76% were achieved for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, respectively. Our results provide valuable information on the optimal time for GLD detection. This hyperspectral method can also be deployed on mobile platforms including ground-based vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for large-scale disease surveillance in vineyards.