Innovative detection system allows researchers to differentiate between oak wilt and drought

Oak forests play a vital role in our ecosystem, providing climate regulation and erosion control throughout North America. However, these forests face increasing threats from drought and oak wilt, and it can be difficult to separate these two problems.

Using an innovative approach combining remote sensing tools and physiological measurements, University of Minnesota researchers have developed a way to detect oak wilt early and accurately, a critical step in safeguarding the health of oak-dominated forests. the Oak.

Their research recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrates the ability to predict physiological processes linked to oak wilt and water stress from light reflected by canopies.

“Forest health specialists often point out how difficult it is to distinguish between the death of oaks from the chestnut moth and the impact of drought and oak wilt in the same forest stands. This research demonstrates the potential for detecting and differentiating between these two critical oak problems,” said Jennifer Juzwik, assistant professor in the University’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.

Using spectral ecophysiology, a novel integration of plant ecophysiology, and remote sensing for advanced plant stress monitoring, this approach enables early detection of oak wilt and drought. It combines biological knowledge with the efficiency of landscape measurements.

The researchers found that by analyzing spectral reflectance data, they could detect specific indicators such as decline in photosynthetic efficiency and loss of leaf rehydration capacity up to two weeks before trees showed symptoms. visual signs of decline. They also found that patterns of canopy decline reflect patterns of blocked conduits in stems, and that these patterns are specific to each type of stress.

Further research based on this method could enable early detection of various threats to forest health.

“These models are like superhuman eyes: they see light at wavelengths far beyond what we can see. Once trained, they can use the information hidden in our eyes to translate light into physiology” , said lead author Gerard Sapes, a biologist at the Institute. University of Florida, former postdoctoral researcher at the University of Minnesota.

This advance encourages further exploration of the complex links between ecophysiology and spectral reflectance, paving the way for a more nuanced assessment of plant stress. This research represents an important step toward effective and widespread application of plant stress monitoring.

“The study provides an elegant integration of physiological and spectral biology methods to detect and differentiate between drought effects and disease effects on young trees. We are now able to accurately predict disease development and drought in oaks,” said Jeannine Cavender-Bares, director of the ASCEND Biology Integration Institute and professor in the College of Biological Sciences.

Future research should explore broader applications of spectral ecophysiology to better understand what can and cannot be predicted from spectral reflectance. Expanding the methodology to cover larger forest areas and diverse ecosystems would improve its generalizability, but this would bring new challenges requiring research-based solutions.

Collaborative efforts with forest management agencies and policy makers are crucial to integrate and scale these innovative methods into real-world monitoring and management practices.