This month, a new tool from CID Bio-Science is hitting the market. The device, called SPECTRAVUE, gives deep insights into plant and crop health with a simple leaf measurement.
As many commercial growers and packers know, a leaf’s appearance can be a powerful indicator of whether a plant is healthy or experiencing stress. SPECTRAVUE, which measures and analyzes spectral data taken from a plant’s leaf, takes this one step further, enabling the user to peer deep into a plant’s condition and find root causes of stress so they can be immediately addressed.
Commercial applications
Among many other uses, SPECTRAVUE can analyze the effects of different nutrient and fertilizer applications on crops, predict shelf-life and degradation of leafy greens and other commodities, evaluate environmental changes (water, light, temperature, etc.) for sources of stress, and compare changes in pigments across elevations.
“The use of leaf spectrometry in commercial settings is new and holds a lot of potential for the industry,” stated Galen George, Application Scientist at CID Bio-Science. One example of the many applications of the instrument is to support growers and shippers with a product that has the best possible shelf-life. For cut flowers for instance, the instrument can be used to model and predict degradation. “It will basically determine how long cut flowers will last after harvest.”
Similarly, George is working with a Texas Tech University researcher to develop two different models for spinach. The first will be used to evaluate moisture content, which can be used by growers to evaluate the quality and mildew resistance of their crop. The other is a model that can be used by packers to predict the shelf-life of packaged spinach. “Historically, the latter has been extremely hard to do.” With the right tool, these insights don’t just become possible, they become easy.
This versatile and one-of-a-kind device doesn’t have any limitations as to where it can be used. It is available worldwide and if you would like to know more, attend CID Bio-Science’s upcoming webinar on SPECTRAVUE this Thursday, October 8th at 8:00 am Pacific time. Click here to register.
For more information:
Scott Trimble
CID Bio-Science / Felix Instruments
Tel: +1 (360) 833-8835
Email: strimble@felixinstruments.com
www.cid-inc.com