Imaging spectroscopy can predict water stress in wild blueberry fields
Imaging spectroscopy can help predict water stress in wild blueberry barrens, according to a University of Maine-led study.
Scientists from UMaine, the Schoodic Institute and Wyman’s, one of the world’s largest purveyors of wild blueberries, found that use of models incorporating imaging spectroscopy can help predict whether wild blueberry fields will lack sufficient water for growing. Not only can the technology help inform growers as they evaluate irrigation routines and manage their water resources in a way that avoids damaging the crop, researchers say.
Graduate student Catherine Chan led the study, joined by UMaine faculty Daniel Hayes and Yongjiang Zhang, Schoodic Institute forest ecologist Peter Nelson and Wyman’s agronomist Bruce Hall. The journal Remote Sensing published a report of their findings.
Warming and drought exacerbated by climate change have compounded their struggles in recent years, alongside freezing and pathogens. Researchers say as a result, there has been an increased need for predictive tools, like imaging spectroscopy and models that rely on it, for land conditions to inform mitigation strategies.