Evaluating the severity level of cotton Verticillium using spectral signature analysis

High spatial or spectral resolution remote sensing might be an efficient method for estimating Verticillium wilt incidence in cotton. The objectives of this study were to characterize leaf spectra and the physiological and biochemical parameters of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) damaged by Verticillium dahliae Kleb. (simply, Verticillium) to determine the wavelengths of those leaves that were most responsive to cotton with Verticillium and to develop a spectral model to predict the severity levels (SLs) of Verticillium through evaluation of the SLs of cotton leaves with Verticillium at different growth stages using reflectance and the first derivative (FD) spectrum. The study revealed that the values of the physiological and biochemical parameters all gradually decreased with increasing SLs in cotton leaves infected with Verticillium. The spectral characteristics of cotton leaves infected with Verticillium were significant compared to healthy ones. The reflectance of cotton leaves increased with increasing SLs of SLs disease in the range of 400–2500 nm (excluding 700–900 nm). The values of FD spectrum changed significantly at the red edge of the chlorophyll absorption feature (680–740 nm). The wavelength position of the red edge shifted towards shorter wavelengths and the red-edge swing decreased with respect to increasing SLs. From this study, the raw spectral bands of 437–724 and 909–2500 nm and the FD spectra bands of 535–603 and 699–750 nm can be selected as sensitive bands for estimating the SLs of disease in cotton leaves. Inversion models have been established to estimate the SLs of cotton leaves infected with Verticillium. Of all models, the model of R _700nm/R _825nm was superior for quantitatively estimating the disease SLs of cotton leaves infected with Verticillium in practice: its root mean square error (RMSE) was 0.866 and relative error (RE) was only 0.012. Thus, both the selected wavelength ranges and the chosen reflectance models were good indicators of damage caused by Verticillium to cotton leaves. The results provide theoretical support for large-scale monitoring of cotton infected with Verticillium by air- and spaceborne remote sensing.