Eyes in the sky: Using drones to assess the severity of crop diseases

Rice is one of the most important crops in the world and constitutes the primary food source for over half of Earth's population. Protecting rice plantations from disease is therefore an essential endeavor in modern agriculture. Of the many pathogens that can infect rice plants, the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae, which is responsible for bacterial blight (BB), is among the worst. Hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of crops are lost each year due to BB, and millions of dollars are spent in preventive measures and research.