Establishing hyperspectral sensing and processing skills for research on climate- and disease-resistant crops and trees in South Africa

Summary

Hyperspectral sensing enables rapid and accurate quantification of phenotypic traits for plant breeding and plant heath monitoring using non-invasive methods. Although hyperspectral sensing is developing rapidly globally, it has not been utilized extensively in Africa. This project aims to redress this imbalance by transferring essential skills to South Africa (SA), leveraging recent advancements in hyperspectral sensors, increased accessibility of AI for data processing, the FABI-URC satellite lab Remote Sensing of Plant Health and new government funded phenotyping infrastructure at the University of Pretoria (UP). The project’s central goal is to develop local skills and capacity through partnerships with Ghent University to establish hyperspectral sensing technologies for deployment in plant breeding and remote sensing. Transferable skills are not limited to hyperspectral sensing, but include training in big data management and processing.

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