'HyperBird' imaging platform spots grape diseases before they're visible

HyperBird, a cutting-edge imaging platform for observing microscopic traits in plants, can detect grape diseases—such as powdery and downy mildews, which cost vineyard owners billions in annual losses globally—days before physical symptoms become visible. The advancement could allow plant breeders to speed the development of disease-resistant grape varieties, cue growers to target fungicide use early in a disease's progression and provide vineyard workers with better, earlier information for crop management.