Plant diseases and pests can cause essential/massive damage in agriculture and viticulture by significantly reducing the quantity and quality of the yield. An early detection of pests and diseases, as well as the understanding of their spread and pattern can help reducing the impact. In practice, pesticides are often applied in a standardised manner, i.e. within a field or vineyard no distinction is made between whether a disease is present or not. If both, the type of disease and the spreading area within a field are known, there are opportunities to apply pesticides precisely at the place of occurrence or high-risk. This so-called "Variable Rate Treatment" can be based on   remote sensing methods using drone based image data or, in the case of large-scale agricultural areas, also by satellite data (e.g. Sentinel-2). Different modelling techniques or empirical relationships allow for mapping and monitoring disease symptoms or other stress occurrence.  

In the following table projects are presented which deal with the use of modern remote sensing methods for the detection and monitoring of plant diseases. For more information on the projects please follow the link to the projects’ webpages.