Sensitive plants and methods for identifying stressors in a crop based on characteristics of sensitive plants

Abstract

This application discloses sensitive plants and a method for identifying stressors in crops based on the characteristics of sensitive plants. A variation of the method for identifying stressors in crops based on the fluorescence of sensitive plants includes: accessing a set of spectral images of sensitive plants sown in the crop, the sensitive plant type including a set of promoters and a set of reporters configured to signal a set of stressors present at the sensitive plant, the set of promoters and the set of reporters forming a set of promoter-reporter pairs; accessing a reporter model to associate features extracted from the set of spectral images of the sensitive plant with the set of stressors based on signals generated by the set of promoter-reporter pairs in the sensitive plant type; and identifying a first stressor present at the sensitive plant among the set of stressors based on the reporter model and the features extracted from the set of spectral images.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the application filed on December 19, 2019, with application number 201980092562.4 and invention title "Sensitive Plants and Method for Identifying Stressors in Crops Based on Characteristics of Sensitive Plants".

[0002] Cross-reference to related applications This application relates to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 894,676, filed August 30, 2019; U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 864,401, filed June 20, 2019; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 782,130, filed December 19, 2018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This invention relates generally to the agricultural field, and more particularly to a novel and useful sensor plant and a method for identifying stressors in crops based on the characteristics of the sensor plant in the agricultural field. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides the following: 1) A method for identifying stressors in crops based on fluorescence in sensitive plants, comprising: Access a set of spectral images of a sensitive plant seeded in a crop, the sensitive plant type comprising a set of promoters and a set of reporters, the set of promoters and the set of reporters being configured to signal a set of stressors present at the sensitive plant, the set of promoters and the set of reporters forming a set of promoter-reporter pairs; Access report submodel, which associates features extracted from a set of spectral images of the sensitive plant with a set of stressors based on signals generated from the set of promoter-reporter pairs in the sensitive plant type; and The first stressor in the set of stressors present at the sensitive plant is identified based on the report sub-model and features extracted from the set of spectral images.

[0005] 2) According to the method described in 1): Accessing the set of spectral images of the sensitive plant includes: Access a first spectral image, which depicts a descending light spectrum and is captured at a first moment by a spectrometer defining a field of view facing the sensitive plant in the opposite direction; and Access the second spectral image, which depicts an upward light spectrum captured by the spectrometer at approximately the first time, defining a field of view facing the sensitive plant; and Accessing the report submodel includes accessing the report submodel that associates solar-induced fluorescence measurements extracted from downlink and uplink light spectra with the set of stressors in a type of sensitive plant; and Identifying the first stressor includes identifying the first stressor based on features of the report submodel and the set of spectral images.

[0006] 3) According to the method in 2), wherein identifying the first stressor includes: Extract the downward intensity at the wavelength associated with the Fraunhofer line from the downward optical spectrum; Extract the upward intensity at the wavelength associated with the Fraunhofer line from the upward optical spectrum; Calculate the difference between the uplink strength and the downlink strength; and In response to the difference exceeding a threshold difference, the first stressor present at the sensitive plant is identified.

[0007] 4) According to the method described in 2): It also includes estimating a nominal upward light spectrum based on the downward light spectrum represented in the first spectral image, the nominal upward light spectrum representing the reflectance and fluorescence of the sensitive plant in the presence of light conforming to the downward light spectrum at the first time in the absence of the first stressor; Identifying the first stressor includes: Extract the first intensity at the first wavelength from the uplink light spectrum represented in the second spectral image; Extract the first nominal intensity at the first wavelength from the nominal uplink spectrum; Calculate the first deviation between the first intensity and the first nominal intensity at the first wavelength; and In response to the first deviation exceeding a threshold deviation, the presence of the first stressor is predicted at the sensitive plant.

[0008] 5) According to the method of 4), wherein predicting the presence of the first stressor at the sensitive plant further includes, in response to the first deviation exceeding the threshold deviation: Extract the second intensity at the second wavelength from the uplink light spectrum represented in the second spectral image; Extract the second nominal intensity at the second wavelength from the nominal upward light spectrum; Calculate the second deviation between the second intensity and the second nominal intensity at the second wavelength; and In response to the second deviation exceeding the threshold deviation, the presence of the first stressor is predicted at the sensitive plant.

[0009] 6) The method according to 5) further includes: Based on the first intensity and the second intensity, a first area under the curve of the upward light spectrum between the first wavelength and the second wavelength is extracted; Based on the first nominal intensity and the second nominal intensity, extract the nominal area below the curve of the nominal upward light spectrum between the first wavelength and the second wavelength; Calculate the difference between the first area and the nominal area; and The magnitude of the first stressor present at the sensitive plant is estimated based on the difference.

[0010] 7) According to the method described in 5): The method of predicting the presence of the first stressor at the sensitive plant in response to the first deviation exceeding a threshold deviation further includes calculating a first confidence score based on the first deviation; and The method of predicting the presence of the first stressor at the sensitive plant in response to the second deviation exceeding a threshold deviation further includes calculating a second confidence score based on the first deviation and the second deviation, wherein the second confidence score is greater than the first confidence score.

[0011] 8) The method according to 7) further includes: In response to the second deviation being lower than the threshold deviation, a third confidence score is calculated based on the first deviation and the second deviation, the third confidence score being less than the first confidence score; and In response to the third confidence score being lower than the threshold confidence score, it is predicted that the first stressor is not present at the sensitive plant.

[0012] 9) According to the method described in 2): Accessing the second spectral image depicting the uplink spectrum includes accessing the second spectral image depicting the uplink spectrum comprising the sum of the reflected light spectrum and the fluorescence spectrum; It also includes extracting reporter fluorescence spectra from the uplink spectrum based on the uplink spectrum and the downlink spectrum; and The extraction of the reporter fluorescence spectrum includes: The reflected light spectrum is estimated based on the reflectance factor of the sensitive plant when light conforming to the downward light spectrum is present at the first time. The fluorescence spectrum is estimated based on a first difference between the upward light spectrum and the reflected light spectrum; and The fluorescence spectrum of the reporter is estimated as the fluorescence spectrum.

[0013] 10) According to the method described in 9): The estimation of the reporter fluorescence spectrum further includes: Access refers to the nominal fluorescence spectrum of fluorescence in the region of the sensitive plant in the absence of the first stressor, provided that light conforming to the downward light spectrum is present at the first time. Calculate the second difference between the fluorescence spectrum and the nominal fluorescence spectrum; and The reporter fluorescence spectrum of the sensitive plant is estimated based on the difference.

[0014] 11) According to the method described in 1): Accessing the set of spectral images of the sensitive plant includes accessing the set of spectral images of the sensitive plant that has been genetically modified to include the following: In the set of promoter-reporter pairs, the first promoter-reporter pair is configured to fluoresce at a first intensity at a first wavelength in response to the presence of the first stressor at the sensitive plant; and The second promoter-reporter pair in the set of promoter-reporter pairs, the second promoter-reporter pair being configured to fluoresce at a second wavelength and a second intensity in response to the presence of the second stressor at the sensitive plant; and The identification of the first stressor present at the sensitive plant includes identifying the first stressor based on the fluorescence of the sensitive plant at the first wavelength and the first intensity.

[0015] 12) According to the method of 1), wherein accessing the set of spectral images of the sensitive plant includes: Access the first spectral image of the sensitive plant captured by a spectral sensor attached to the spray bar in the crop; Access to a second spectral image of the sensitive plant captured by a spectral sensor mounted on the aircraft; and Access to third spectral images of the sensitive plant captured by spectral sensors mounted on a satellite.

[0016] 13) The method according to 1) further includes a response to identifying the first stressor: Identify the first action associated with the first stressor from a set of actions defined for the sensitive plant type; and A notification is transmitted to the computing device of a user associated with the crop to perform the first action at the crop to mitigate the first stressor.

[0017] 14) A method for selecting reporters based on fluorescence in sensitive plants for the detection of stressors in crops, comprising: Access refers to the nominal upward light spectrum of reflectance and fluorescence within the crop region; Extract the nominal peak intensity at a first wavelength from the nominal uplink spectrum of the crop region; Access the first fluorescence spectrum depicting the fluorescence of the first reporter gene in a set of reporter genes when it is expressed; Extract the first peak intensity at the first wavelength from the first fluorescence spectrum of the first reporter gene; Calculate the first signal-to-noise ratio between the first peak intensity of the first reporter and the nominal intensity of the region of the crop; In response to the first signal-to-noise ratio exceeding the threshold signal-to-noise ratio, the first reporter gene is selected; A first promoter gene, associated with a first stressor from a set of stressors, is paired with a first reporter gene to form a first promoter-reporter pair, the first promoter-reporter pair being configured to trigger fluorescence in the presence of the first stressor; and Transgenic sensitive plants are configured to include the first promoter-reporter pair to signal the presence of the first stressor.

[0018] 15) According to the method described in 14): The selection of the first reporter gene further includes: Extract the second nominal peak intensity at the second wavelength from the nominal upward light spectrum of the crop region; Extract the second peak intensity at the second wavelength from the first fluorescence spectrum of the first reporter gene; Calculate the second signal-to-noise ratio of the second intensity of the first reporter gene to the nominal intensity of the region of the crop; In response to the second signal-to-noise ratio exceeding the threshold signal-to-noise ratio, the first reporter gene is selected; and The extraction of the nominal peak intensity at the first wavelength and the second wavelength includes the extraction of the nominal peak intensity at the first wavelength and the second wavelength corresponding to the atmospheric spectral lines in the nominal upward light spectrum.

[0019] 16) According to the method described in 14): Accessing the first fluorescence spectrum corresponding to the first reporter includes accessing the first fluorescence spectrum corresponding to the red fluorescent protein; Wherein, pairing the first promoter associated with the first stressor with the first reporter gene includes pairing the first promoter associated with plant dehydration with the red fluorescent protein to form the first promoter-reporter pair; The transgenic sensitive plant includes the first promoter-reporter pair, and the sensitive plant is configured to fluoresce at the first wavelength and the first intensity in response to dehydration of the sensitive plant.

[0020] 17) The method according to 14) further includes: Select the second reporter gene from the set of reporter genes; The second promoter gene, which is associated with a second stressor in the set of stressors, is paired with the second reporter gene to form a second promoter-reporter pair configured to trigger fluorescence in the presence of the second stressor; and The transgenic sensitive plant includes a transgenic sensitive plant comprising a first promoter-reporter pair and a second promoter-reporter pair, configured to signal the presence of the first stressor and the second stressor.

[0021] 18) The method according to 17), wherein selecting the second reporter gene includes: Access the second fluorescence spectrum depicting the fluorescence of the second reporter gene; Extract the second peak intensity at the second wavelength from the second fluorescence spectrum of the second reporter gene; Calculate the distance between the first wavelength of the first fluorescence spectrum and the second wavelength of the second fluorescence spectrum; and In response to the distance exceeding the threshold distance: Extract the second nominal peak intensity at the second wavelength from the nominal uplink spectrum of the crop region; Calculate the second signal-to-noise ratio of the second intensity of the second report to the second nominal intensity of the crop region; and In response to the second signal-to-noise ratio exceeding the threshold signal-to-noise ratio, the second reporting sub-sub ...

[0022] 19) According to the method described in 17): Wherein, selecting the first reporter gene includes selecting red fluorescent protein as the first reporter gene; Wherein, pairing the first promoter gene with the first reporter gene includes pairing the first promoter gene with the red fluorescent protein gene to form a first promoter-reporter pair configured to trigger red fluorescence in the sensitive plant undergoing plant dehydration; Among them, selecting the second reporter gene includes selecting the yellow fluorescent protein gene as the second reporter gene; The pairing of the second promoter gene with the second reporter gene includes pairing the second promoter gene with the yellow fluorescent protein gene to form a second promoter-reporter pair configured to trigger yellow fluorescence in the sensitive plant in the presence of insect stress; and The transgenic sensitive plant includes a transgenic sensitive plant comprising a first promoter-reporter pair and a second promoter-reporter pair, configured to signal the presence of plant dehydration and insect stress.

[0023] 20) A method for identifying stressors in crops based on fluorescence in sensitive plants, comprising: Access a first spectral image of a sensitive plant sown in a crop, the first spectral image depicting a downward optical spectrum and captured at a first moment by a spectrometer defining a field of view facing the sensitive plant in the opposite direction, the sensitive plant being configured to signal a set of stressors present at the sensitive plant; Access a second spectral image of a sensitive plant sown in a crop, the second spectral image depicting an upward light spectrum captured by the spectrometer, which defines a field of view facing the sensitive plant, at approximately the first time; Access a reporter sub-model that associates solar-induced fluorescence measurements extracted from the descending and ascending light spectra of the sensitive plant with the set of stressors of the plant type; and The first stressor among the set of stressors present at the sensitive plant was identified based on the reporter submodel and solar-induced fluorescence measurements. Brief description of the attached diagram Figure 1 This is a flowchart representation of the first method; Figure 2 This is a flowchart representation of the first method; Figures 3A-3C This is a flowchart representation of the second method; Figure 4A and Figure 4B This is a flowchart representation of the third method; Figure 5A and Figure 5B It is a graphical representation of the wavelength spectrum; Figure 6 It is a schematic representation of a remote sensor system; and Figure 7A and Figure 7B It is a graphical representation of the solar spectrum.

[0024] Description of the Implementation Examples The following description of embodiments of the present invention is not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments, but rather to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention. The variations, configurations, implementations, example implementations, and examples described herein are optional and not limited to them. The invention described herein can include any and all combinations of these variations, configurations, implementations, example implementations, and examples.

[0025] 1. Sensitive plants like Figure 1 As shown, the sensitive plant includes a first promoter-reporter pair, which includes: a first promoter activated in the presence of a first stressor at the sensitive plant; and a first reporter coupled to the first promoter and configured to display a first signal in the electromagnetic spectrum in response to activation of the first promoter by the first stressor. The sensitive plant also includes a second promoter-reporter pair, which includes: a second promoter activated in the presence of a second stressor at the sensitive plant; and a second reporter coupled to the second promoter and configured to display a second signal in the electromagnetic spectrum in response to activation of the second promoter by the second stressor, the second signal being different from the first signal. The sensitive plant also includes a third promoter that is activated in the presence of a third stressor at the sensitive plant; and a first reporter and a second reporter coupled to the third promoter and configured to display a third signal in the electromagnetic spectrum in response to activation of the third promoter by the third stressor, the third signal being different from the first and second signals.

[0026] A variant of the sensitive plant includes a first promoter-reporter pair, comprising: a first promoter configured to activate in the presence of a first stressor within a first amplitude range at the sensitive plant; and a first reporter coupled to the first promoter and configured to exhibit a first signal in the electromagnetic spectrum in response to activation of the first promoter by the first stressor. In this variant, the sensitive plant also includes a second promoter-reporter pair, comprising: a second promoter configured to activate in the presence of a first stressor within a second amplitude range larger than the first amplitude range at the sensitive plant; and a second reporter coupled to the second promoter and configured to exhibit a second signal in the electromagnetic spectrum in response to activation of the second promoter by the second stressor.

[0027] Another variant of the sensitive plant includes: a first promoter that is activated at a first time for a first duration in response to the presence of a first stressor in the sensitive plant; a second promoter that is activated at a second time for a second duration in response to the presence of the first stressor in the sensitive plant, the second time being after the first time and before the termination of the first duration; and a reporter coupled to the first and second promoters, the reporter displaying a first signal for the detection of the first stressor for the first duration in response to activation of the first promoter; and the reporter displaying a second signal for the detection of the first stressor for the second duration in response to activation of the second promoter.

[0028] 1.1 Methods like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a first method S100 for identifying stressors in crops based on the characteristics of sensitive plants includes: in block S110 accessing an image of a sensitive plant sown in the crop, the sensitive plant of the sensitive plant type including a set of promoters and a set of reporters configured to signal a set of stressors present at the sensitive plant, the set of promoters and the set of reporters forming a set of promoter-reporter pairs; in block S120 accessing a reporter model that associates features extracted from the image of the sensitive plant type with the set of stressors based on signals generated by the set of promoter-reporter pairs in the sensitive plant type; in block S130 identifying a first stressor present at the sensitive plant in the set of stressors based on the reporter model and features extracted from the image; in block S140 isolating a first action associated with the first stressor from a set of actions defined for the sensitive plant type; and in block S150 prompting the farmer to perform a first action at the crop to mitigate the first stressor in response to the identification of the first stressor.

[0029] 1.2 Application Typically, sensitive plants include a promoter-reporter pair configured to detect stressors present in the sensitive plant and generate a detectable signal (e.g., in the electromagnetic spectrum) to indicate the presence of these stressors in the sensitive plant or in a region of the crop in which the sensitive plant is located. More specifically, sensitive plants can be genetically modified to include: a promoter sequence (hereinafter “promoter”) configured to activate in the presence of a specific stressor (e.g., “associated with a specific stressor”); and a reporter sequence (hereinafter “reporter”) paired with the promoter and configured to display (or “express”) a signal when the promoter is activated.

[0030] Then, a computer system (e.g., a remote server, a local device, a computer network) can execute blocks of the method to detect the signal in an image of the sensitive plant and interpret the signal as the presence (and / or duration, amplitude) of the specific stressor. Specifically, the computer system can: access an image of the sensitive plant (e.g., the sensitive plant itself, particularly a cluster of sensitive plants, or an entire crop field); detect the sensitive plant in a region of the image; extract from that region of the image depicting the sensitive plant the intensity of a specific signal (e.g., an electromagnetic signal in the visible or infrared spectrum) generated by a promoter-reporter pair for that type of sensitive plant in the presence of the specific stressor; and then, if the intensity of the specific signal exceeds a threshold intensity, predict the presence of the specific stressor at the sensitive plant. The computer system can additionally or optionally: predict the duration of the specific plant stress present at the sensitive plant; predict the amplitude of the specific plant stress at the sensitive plant based on this intensity of the specific signal; and / or, for example, isolate a specific action process in response to the presence of the specific stressor at the sensitive plant based on the correlation between the specific signal and a specific action process defined by a reporter model. Therefore, computer systems can warn farmers or other entities closely associated with sensitive plants or crops about the presence, duration, and / or magnitude of specific stressors in sensitive plants, and / or prompt farmers to perform specific action procedures at sensitive plants (and surrounding plants, fields, or crops) to eliminate or mitigate specific stressors.

[0031] In one implementation, the imaging system (e.g., a multispectral or hyperspectral imaging system) can capture digital images (e.g., spectral images) of the plant canopy (e.g., sensitive plants and surrounding plants). For example, the imaging system may include: an optomechanical fore-optic for measuring fluorescent and non-fluorescent targets; and a digital spectrometer or digital camera that records images through the optomechanical fore-optic. Thus, a computer system can access the images recorded by the imaging system and process these images according to method S100 to detect reporter signals and interpret the stress present in these plants.

[0032] In one variant, the promoter-reporter pair is incorporated into the GMO plant genes within the GMO stack already present in the GMO seed, which can then be planted to produce an entire crop of sensitive plants (e.g., non-sterile GMO sensitive plants). As described below, these sensitive plant seeds can be configured to generate multiple distinct signals representing a range of stressors. For example, sensitive plants including different promoter-reporter pairs can be uniformly distributed throughout the crop. Alternatively, sensitive plants can be planted in clusters in a field, wherein all plants within each cluster contain the same promoter-reporter pair configured to generate a specific signal in response to a particular biotic or abiotic stressor (or for a particular set or class of biotic and / or abiotic stressors). For example, sensing plant seeds containing the same promoter-reporter pair can be planted along the entire length of a crop row in a field, and (non-sterile) sensitive plant seeds in two adjacent crop rows can contain different promoter-reporter pairs configured to generate different (or identical) signals in response to different biotic or abiotic stressors. (In this example, such a pattern, containing rows of seeds with different promoter-reporter pairs, can be repeated along the entire length of the field.) Therefore, by aggregating sensitive plants into one-dimensional or two-dimensional groups comprising the same promoter-reporter pairs and thus configured to generate signals in response to the same stressors, the entire crop can generate high-amplitude signals characterized by high signal-to-noise ratios for multiple different biotic and / or abiotic stressors in separate rows or areas of the field. Thus, the computer system can execute blocks of method S100 to interpolate or extrapolate stressors across the entire field, indicated by these rows or clusters of sensitive plants configured to generate signals in response to these stressors, in order to predict stressor stress across the entire crop. Therefore, in this variant, because each plant in the field exhibits sensing capability, the computer system can directly monitor the entire crop via a fixed or mobile imaging system and can generate a stress map of biotic and / or abiotic stressors for the entire crop based on signals generated by these sensitive plants over time (e.g., once daily) and detected in images of the crop. By repeating this process to develop new stress maps of the field over time, the computer system can monitor stressors across the field over time and provide data and / or recommendations on proactively mitigating these stressors to farmers, agronomists, field operators, automation systems, input suppliers, or other entities closely connected to the field. The computer system can also implement this process to update the field's stress map after stressor treatment, enabling field operators to directly assess the effectiveness of the stressor treatment and make more informed treatment decisions for the field in the future.

[0033] 1.3 Promoter-reporter pair Sensitive plants can be genetically modified to include promoter-reporter pairs that indicate the presence of stressors in the plant. Promoters include genetic regulatory elements that drive the expression of mRNA, which is subsequently converted into a functional protein, at specific times and locations. Promoter activity represents a natural biological process that occurs when a specific stressor is present in a sensitive plant. To detect the presence of these stressors, a reporter expressing a specific signal can be coupled to a selected promoter. More specifically, the reporter can initiate metabolic changes in the sensitive plant that generate a detectable signal (e.g., changes in pigmentation in the sensitive plant). Thus, when cells of a sensitive plant express a promoter associated with a specific stressor, the reporter linked to that promoter is also expressed and generates a detectable signal. For example, sensing plants can be genetically modified to fluoresce in the presence of disease or stressor stress (i.e., absorb photons at one frequency and emit photons at different frequencies). In this example, the sensing plant can be modified to fluoresce in the presence of one or more diseases or stressors (such as fungi, bacteria, nematodes, parasites, viruses, insects, heat, water stress, nutrient stress, phytoplasmic diseases, etc.).

[0034] In one example, a sensitive plant is genetically modified to include a promoter having activity representing a natural biological process that occurs in the presence of insect stress in the sensitive plant. In this example, the promoter is paired with a red fluorescent protein reporter, such that the resulting promoter-reporter pair is configured to exhibit red fluorescence in the presence of insect stress in the sensitive plant.

[0035] In one variant, a sensitive plant can be genetically modified to include a specific promoter-reporter pair. For example, initially, a sensitive plant can be genetically engineered to associate its (reporter-initiated) bioluminescence with a promoter that is associated with a specific metabolic process indicating water stress in the sensitive plant. At a later time, in response to a drop in water levels in the sensitive plant cells below a minimum water concentration, the sensitive plant can: initiate a specific metabolic process and thus express the promoter; express a reporter and initiate a metabolic process associated with the plant's bioluminescence; and signal the presence of a minimum water concentration via bioluminescence.

[0036] Therefore, sensitive plants can include promoter-reporter pairs configured to signal the presence of a specific biotic and / or abiotic stress (e.g., pests, disease, water, heat, soil health, and / or nutrient stress or deficiency) experienced by the sensitive plant. For example, sensitive plants can be transgenic to include a promoter having activity associated with the presence of a stressor (e.g., fungus, pest, heat, water, disease, or nutrient stress) at the plant site. Sensitive plants can also be transgenic to include a reporter paired with the promoter, and the reporter is configured to produce a detectable signal, such as an electromagnetic signal in the visible or infrared spectrum, when the corresponding promoter is activated. For example, a reporter in a sensitive plant can be configured to fluoresce (i.e., produce a signal in the visible spectrum) when the corresponding promoter is activated in the sensitive plant. More specifically, promoter-reporter pairs can be incorporated into sensitive plants via molecular binding and metabolic engineering techniques that associate the expression of a promoter in response to a specific biotic stress with a reporter that produces a measurable signal when the promoter is expressed. Promoter-reporter pairs can be configured to generate measurable signals by pairing a reporter with a promoter such that the reporter is expressed when the promoter is expressed. Therefore, through reporter expression, promoter-reporter pairs can generate measurable signals for specific biological stresses or traits in sensitive plants.

[0037] 1.3.1 Multiple promoter-reporter pairs In one variant, a sensitive plant can be transgenic to include multiple promoter-reporter pairs, each indicating a specific biological process occurring in the sensitive plant cell in response to a specific stressor. For example, the sensitive plant may include: a first promoter-reporter pair comprising a first promoter representing a first biological process associated with the presence of a water stressor, the first promoter being linked to a red fluorescent protein reporter; and a second promoter-reporter pair comprising a second promoter representing a second biological process associated with the presence of a fungal stressor, the second promoter being linked to a yellow fluorescent protein reporter. Then, in response to the presence of a fungal stressor in the sensitive plant, the sensitive plant can: initiate the second biological process and thus express the second promoter; express the yellow fluorescent protein reporter; and signal that the fungal stressor amplitude is above a threshold fungal stressor amplitude. Therefore, a sensitive plant can signal the presence of multiple stressors via transgenic sensitive plant cells to include a set of promoter-reporter pairs.

[0038] In this variant, the computer system can distinguish different signals from sensitive plants to determine which stressor is present in the sensitive plant. For example, the computer system can: access images of sensitive plants; access a report sub-model that associates features of the images of sensitive plants with specific stressors (e.g., yellow fluorescence signals fungal stress); identify the presence of specific stressors in sensitive plants based on the report sub-model; and alert farmers to the specific stressor in the sensitive plants.

[0039] In another example, the susceptible plant is transgenic to include a set of promoters, each representing a unique biological process that occurs in response to the presence of a specific stressor in the susceptible plant. In this example, the susceptible plant is transgenic to include a set of promoters comprising: a first promoter configured to activate in the presence of insect stress; a second promoter configured to activate in the presence of fungal stress; and a third promoter configured to activate in the presence of water-related stress (e.g., too much and / or too little water). Each promoter in this set of promoters in the susceptible plant can pair with a single reporter in a set of reporters to form three promoter-reporter pairs in the susceptible plant. Specifically: the first promoter can pair with a first reporter configured to express red fluorescent protein; the second promoter can pair with a second reporter configured to express yellow fluorescent protein; and the third promoter can pair with a third reporter configured to express green fluorescent protein. The computer system can then: access images of susceptible plants collected by a digital spectrometer; access a reporter submodel that associates the expression of fluorescent proteins (e.g., red, yellow, green) visible in the images of susceptible plants with plant stressors (e.g., red fluorescence signals insect stress); identify fungal stress at susceptible plants in response to the presence of yellow fluorescence in the images; and alert farmers to fungal stress in susceptible plants. Furthermore, the computer system can associate fungal stress with a specific action from a set of possible actions and prompt crop farmers to apply fungicides to infected areas to alleviate fungal stress.

[0040] 1.3.2 Combined promoter-reporter pairs In one variant, a sensitive plant can be transgenic to include a complex gene sensing network representing a set of combined promoter-reporter pairs. The complex gene sensing network includes multiple promoters associated with one or more reporters. Therefore, a sensitive plant can include a set of promoters, each of which pairs with one or a combination of reporters in the set. For example, a sensitive plant can be transgenic to include: a first promoter paired with a red fluorescent reporter, which is associated with a first biological process associated with a water stressor; a second promoter paired with a yellow fluorescent reporter, which is associated with a second biological process associated with a fungal stressor; and a third promoter paired with both the red and yellow fluorescent reporters, which is associated with a third biological process associated with a heat stressor. In response to plant cells exceeding a threshold temperature, the sensitive plant can: initiate the third biological process and thus express the third promoter; express the red and yellow fluorescent reporters; and signal the presence of a heat stressor in the plant (e.g., the sensitive plant temperature is above a threshold temperature).

[0041] Therefore, sensitive plants can be genetically modified to include this complex gene sensing network to utilize a set of reporters to detect the expression of a set of promoters associated with specific biological processes occurring in the plant. Thus, sensitive plants can utilize a small number of reporters (e.g., fluorescent compounds) to monitor and detect a large number of promoters and / or biological processes, thereby simplifying the detection process by reducing the number of reporters required, as fluorescent compounds exhibit broad spectral characteristics and it can be difficult to simultaneously measure and distinguish large numbers of these fluorescent compounds.

[0042] 1.4 Associated promoter-reporter pairs In one variant, the sensitive plant includes a set of promoter-reporter pairs, each promoter-reporter pair being configured to express a unique signal in the presence of a unique primary stress and to modify the expression of its unique signal in the presence of a secondary stress.

[0043] In one example, a susceptible plant can be transgenic to include: a first promoter-reporter pair expressed in the presence of a water stressor; and a second promoter-reporter pair expressed in the presence of a fungal stressor. Therefore, in response to the presence of a fungal stressor, the susceptible plant can: increase the expression of the second promoter-reporter pair to signal the presence of the fungal stressor. However, the susceptible plant can inactivate the first promoter-reporter pair during its natural response to the fungal stressor.

[0044] Therefore, in this example, the computer system can: access an image sequence of the sensitive plant captured over a period of time; detect the presence of a fungal stressor in the sensitive plant based on the increased intensity of a second signal associated with the expression of the second promoter-reporter pair in the image sequence; and confirm the presence of a fungal stressor based on the decreased intensity of a first signal associated with the expression of the first promoter-reporter pair in the image sequence. However, if the computer system detects an increase in the magnitude of the expression of the second promoter-reporter pair without detecting a change in the magnitude of the expression of the first promoter-reporter pair, the computer system can interpret the presence of a different stressor in the sensitive plant. For example, if the second reporter in the sensitive plant is also associated with a third promoter that does not affect the expression of the first reporter-promoter pair (e.g., nutrient deficiency), the computer system can interpret the presence of a third stressor in the sensitive plant in response to the absence of a detected change in the magnitude of the expression of the first promoter-reporter pair while detecting an increase in the magnitude of the expression of the second promoter-reporter pair.

[0045] Therefore, a sensitive plant can be configured to include a promoter-reporter pair that signals the presence of a specific stressor in the sensitive plant, and further, to modify the expression of that signal in the presence of a different stressor not associated with the specific promoter-reporter pair. Thus, a computer system can: access images of the sensitive plant; identify the presence of a specific stressor in the sensitive plant based on features of the image; and confirm the presence of a specific stressor in the sensitive plant based on signals generated by other promoter-reporter pairs in or near the sensitive plant that match the predicted expression of the promoter-reporter pair in the presence of the specific stressor.

[0046] 1.5 Associate the report with the process of the action. In another variant, the sensitive plant may include: a first promoter, expressed in the presence of a water stressor, paired with a red fluorescent protein reporter to generate a first promoter-reporter pair; and a second promoter, expressed in the presence of a heat stressor, paired with a red fluorescent protein reporter to generate a second promoter-reporter pair. Then, in response to (e.g., due to hot, dry days) a drop in water concentration in the sensitive plant below a minimum threshold water concentration, the sensitive plant may generate a red fluorescent signal for the detection of the water stressor. Additionally and / or optionally, in response to a temperature exceeding a maximum threshold temperature, the sensitive plant may generate a red fluorescent signal for the detection of a heat stressor. The computer system may: detect stressors via an image of the sensitive plant; access a reporter model that associates features of the image with stressors; identify the stressor as either a water stressor or a heat stressor; and prompt farmers to irrigate the sensitive plant and surrounding plants or crops. Therefore, computer systems can utilize the following understanding: multiple stressors can be mitigated or treated using the same action process so that promoters or stressors representing different biological processes are paired with the same reporter or signal.

[0047] Therefore, a sensitive plant may include a reporter associated with multiple promoters configured to activate in the presence of different stressors that can be addressed and mitigated using the same action process. Furthermore, the computer system can: detect a signal expressed by the reporter in the presence of any stress that activates the promoter associated with the reporter; and output a suggested action process associated with the reporter and accordingly capable of addressing any potential stressors present at the sensitive plant.

[0048] 1.6 The report uses a signal to indicate the duration. In one variant, a sensitive plant can be transgenic to include multiple promoters that are associated with a specific biological process (or a similar biological process) and paired with a single reporter to increase the duration of reporter expression. For example, a sensitive plant can be transgenic to include a set of promoters paired with a reporter, each of which is associated with a biological process that occurs in the plant cell in response to the presence of a water stressor. Each of these promoters can be selected and / or configured to be expressed at different times when the biological process is activated.

[0049] For example, in response to a decrease in water concentration below a minimum water concentration in a sensitive plant, the sensitive plant can: initiate a specific biological process associated with plant cell dehydration at a first time; express a first promoter from a set of promoters; and express a reporter during a first duration to signal the low water concentration in the sensitive plant. Then, at a second time immediately preceding the end of the first duration, the sensitive plant can: continue to activate the specific biological process; express a second promoter from the same set of promoters; and express the reporter during the second duration. Thus, by pairing multiple promoters associated with a single biological process with a single reporter, the sensitive plant can increase the total duration for which the reporter is expressed, thereby increasing the detection window during which the sensitive plant can signal the presence of a stressor in the sensitive plant.

[0050] In a similar example, a susceptible plant is transgenic to include a set of promoters, each exhibiting promoter activity representing the same natural biological process that occurs under insect stress, but configured to be activated at different time intervals of the natural biological process. In this example, the first promoter in the susceptible plant could be configured to exhibit promoter activity on the first day when insect stress is higher than constitutive insect pressure; and the second promoter in the susceptible plant could be configured to exhibit promoter activity on the second and third days when insect stress is higher than constitutive insect pressure; and so on. Furthermore, this set of promoters can pair with the red fluorescent protein reporter described above. Thus, under insect stress for a period of time, this set of promoters can be (approximately) continuously activated throughout this period, and the red fluorescent protein reporter can continue to be expressed as a measurable signal during this period as these promoters are (approximately) continuously activated and inactivated. Therefore, sensitive plants can exhibit red fluorescence in response to insect stress during an extended period, thereby increasing the time window during which the signal is measurable in the sensitive plant and thus extending the time window during which farmers, agronomists, or other entities can capture images of the sensitive plant, which the computer system can then interpret as the presence of insect stress. Specifically, the computer system can then: access an image of the sensitive plant; detect in this image the signal generated via the expression of the reporter in response to the activation of one of these promoters; identify the presence of insect stress in the plant based on the intensity of the signal thus detected in the image; and accordingly alert the farmer or agronomist to the presence of insect stress. Additionally or optionally, for example, if the intensity of the signal thus detected in the image exceeds a threshold intensity, the computer system can provide the farmer or agronomist with a prompt to perform a specific action to alleviate the insect stress.

[0051] 1.7 Stressor Magnitude In one variant, the susceptible plant can generate signals of varying amplitudes based on the magnitude of the corresponding stressor stress. For example, the susceptible plant can be transgenic to include a promoter-reporter pair configured to express a red fluorescent protein in response to the presence of fungal stress in the susceptible plant. In response to fungal stress exceeding a minimum fungal stress threshold, the susceptible plant can express the fluorescent protein to generate a fluorescence signal above the threshold intensity. In response to fungal stress exceeding the minimum fungal stress threshold but below an intermediate fungal stress threshold, the susceptible plant can express the fluorescent protein to generate a low-level signal. Optionally, in response to fungal stress exceeding an intermediate fungal stress threshold, the susceptible plant can express the fluorescent protein to generate a high-level signal.

[0052] Computer systems can distinguish different levels of stressor stress based on signals generated by sensitive plants, and thus prompt specific action procedures based on the magnitude of stressor stress in sensitive plants. In one variant, the computer system can determine whether a sensitive plant signal associated with a specific stressor exceeds a signal threshold, and then prompt the farmer to perform a specific action procedure associated with the stressor at a specific magnitude. For example, the computer system can: detect the expression of a specific promoter-reporter pair via an image of a sensitive plant that has been genetically modified to include a specific promoter-reporter pair; measure the fluorescence wavelength of the sensitive plant corresponding to a specific magnitude in response to the expression of the specific promoter-reporter pair; and prompt the farmer to perform an action procedure (e.g., "apply a fungicide") in response to a decrease in the specific magnitude exceeding a threshold magnitude to alleviate or treat stressor stress (e.g., fungal stress).

[0053] In one variant, the sensitive plant can generate signals of varying amplitudes based on the magnitude of the corresponding stressor stress. For example, the sensitive plant can be transgenic to include a promoter-reporter pair configured to express a fluorescent protein in response to the presence of fungal stress in the sensitive plant. In response to fungal stress exceeding a minimum fungal stress threshold but below an intermediate fungal stress threshold, the sensitive plant can express the fluorescent protein to generate a low-level signal at a first wavelength. Optionally, in response to fungal stress exceeding an intermediate fungal stress threshold but below a maximum fungal stress threshold, the sensitive plant can express the fluorescent protein to generate an intermediate-level signal at a second wavelength. Optionally, in response to fungal stress exceeding a maximum fungal stress threshold, the sensitive plant can express the fluorescent protein to generate a high-level signal at a third wavelength.

[0054] A computer system can distinguish stressor stresses of different amplitudes based on signals generated by a sensitive plant, and thus prompt specific behavioral processes based on the amplitude of stressor stress in the sensitive plant. For example, the computer system can: at a first time, measure a first wavelength of the sensitive plant via an image of the sensitive plant; access a report submodel that correlates the wavelength of the sensitive plant with the amplitude of stressor stress; and calculate a first amplitude of stressor stress at the first wavelength. Then, at a second time, the computer system can measure a second wavelength of the sensitive plant and access the report submodel to calculate a second amplitude of stressor stress at the second wavelength.

[0055] In one variant, the computer system can prompt a specific action in response to detecting a stress amplitude higher or lower than a threshold stress amplitude. For example, the computer system can: at a first moment, measure a first wavelength of the sensitive plant via an image of the sensitive plant; access a reporting submodel that correlates the wavelength of the sensitive plant with the amplitude of the stressor stress; and calculate a first amplitude of the stressor stress at the first wavelength. Then, in response to the first amplitude decreasing beyond the stressor threshold stress amplitude, the computer system can inform the farmer of the stressor stress and the corresponding amplitude, and prompt the farmer to perform a specific action (e.g., "irrigate the crop").

[0056] 1.8 Constitutive Report Sub-sub ... In one variant, the sensitive plant can be transgenic to include a constitutive promoter-reporter pair, thus taking into account external factors (e.g., temperature, pH level) that affect promoter and reporter expression. For example, an increase in plant temperature can reduce the amplitude of the fluorescence signal generated by the sensitive plant. To account for this reduction in signal amplitude, the sensitive plant can be transgenic to produce a constitutively sensitive plant that generates a signal unresponsive to changes in stressors but responsive to external factors. In one implementation, the sensitive plant can be transgenic to include: a constitutive promoter representing a naturally occurring biological process that occurs continuously in the sensitive plant regardless of any stressor; and a constitutive reporter paired with the promoter to generate a constitutive promoter-reporter pair. The sensitive plant can express the constitutive promoter and thus the constitutive reporter in both the absence and presence of the stressor. A computer system can then measure the amplitude of the signal generated by the sensitive plant and record it as a constitutive amplitude for that particular constitutive reporter.

[0057] For example, a sensitive plant can be transgenic to include: a constitutive promoter representing a naturally occurring biological process in the plant; and a constitutive reporter that generates a red fluorescent signal when expressed, the reporter pairing with the promoter to form a constitutive promoter-reporter pair. Furthermore, a second sensitive plant can be transgenic to include: a promoter representing a biological process occurring in the plant under fungal stress; and a reporter that generates a red fluorescent signal when expressed, the reporter pairing with the promoter to form a promoter-reporter pair. The constitutively sensitive plant can generate a continuous red fluorescent signal, the amplitude of which can be altered in response to various external factors or environmental conditions but not in response to fungal stress. When fungal stress is present, the second sensitive plant can express the promoter-reporter pair and generate a signal with a first amplitude. The computer system can then: access images of both the second sensitive plant and the constitutively sensitive plant; measure the wavelengths of both the first signal and the constitutive signal; and calculate the difference between the first signal and the constitutive signal to estimate the relative amplitude of the first signal for the second sensitive plant. The computer system can then determine specific action procedures based on the relative magnitude of fungal stress and prompt farmers to perform those procedures. Therefore, when identifying the magnitude of stressor stress and determining appropriate action procedures, the computer system can take into account external factors that cause changes in the reporter signal (e.g., unrelated to specific stressors associated with the promoter-reporter pair).

[0058] In one variant, sensitive plants may include constitutive promoter-reporter pairs representing biological processes that occur naturally in the plant, in order to identify weeds and / or other invasive plant species in the crop. For example, sensitive plants may include constitutive promoter-reporter pairs that generate constitutive signals (e.g., light signals) at any time. The computer system can detect this constitutive signal in an image of the crop and accordingly identify sensitive plants and other plants that naturally generate this signal as crop plants. However, in response to the failure to detect the constitutive signal and / or in response to the detection of a constitutive signal with an intensity less than a threshold signal intensity in an image of the crop, the computer system identifies weeds in the crop and accordingly warns farmers of the presence of weeds in the crop.

[0059] 1.9 Sensitive plant clusters Sensitive plants can be planted within crops (e.g., corn crops, soybean crops, etc.) to signal the presence of stressors in the crop. In one variation, multiple sensitive plants can be planted in clusters within designated sensitive plant areas in a field (e.g., in specific crop rows (e.g., every 50 crop rows) or in targeted sections of crop rows (e.g., clusters three rows wide and three meters long, with at least 20 crop rows or 20 meters between adjacent clusters of sensitive plants). By planting multiple sensitive plants in clusters within the crop, the clusters of sensitive plants can generate a cumulative signal characterized by a higher signal-to-noise ratio than isolated sensing plants.

[0060] In one variant, adjacent sensitive plants can be genetically modified to include the same promoter-reporter pair, thereby increasing the amplitude of the cumulative signal from the sensitive plants. For example, a first sensitive plant can be genetically modified to include a promoter-reporter pair configured to signal the presence of insect stress within the crop. The first sensitive plant can be planted within a row of sensitive plants, each of which is genetically modified to include the same promoter-reporter pair within the crop. In response to the migration of insect stress on the crop, this row of sensitive plants (including the first sensitive plant) can generate a cumulative signal indicating the presence of insect stress. Thus, compared to isolated sensitive plants, by planting sensitive plants in a cluster (e.g., a row), this cluster of sensitive plants can also generate greater spatial information about the direction and extent of stressors moving on the crop (e.g., insect stress migrating on the crop).

[0061] In one variant, the susceptible plant may be transgenic to include a promoter-reporter pair different from that of adjacent susceptible plants in the cluster. For example, the cluster of susceptible plants may include: a first susceptible plant transgenic to include a first promoter-reporter pair configured to signal the presence of insect stress in the first susceptible plant; and a second susceptible plant transgenic to include a second promoter-reporter pair configured to signal the presence of fungal stress in the second susceptible plant. In response to the detection of insect stress, the first susceptible plant may signal the presence of insect stress by expressing the first promoter-reporter pair to generate a detectable signal (e.g., fluorescence). Additionally or optionally, in response to the detection of fungal stress, the second susceptible plant may signal the presence of fungal stress by expressing both a promoter and a reporter to generate a detectable signal (e.g., fluorescence). The computer system can then: detect these signals via previously recorded or near-real-time images of these sensitive plants; access a reporter sub-model that associates the sensitive plant signals with stressor stresses to identify the stressor stresses signaled by each sensitive plant; and, in response to the identification of stressor stresses, identify specific action processes based on the stressor stresses; and prompt farmers or crop managers to perform specific action processes to mitigate stressor stresses. Therefore, by planting clusters of sensitive plants comprising different promoter-reporter pairs, the computer system can: detect signals of multiple stresses (e.g., signals of the presence of multiple stresses); simplify the identification of stressor stresses (e.g., if each sensitive plant comprises a promoter-reporter pair); and simplify image collection of sensitive plants and thus the detection of these stressor stresses by grouping sensitive plants together in specific areas of the crop.

[0062] 1.10 Sensitive plants in cover crops In one implementation, sensitive plants can be transgenic to include: GMO plant genes already present in the GMO heap of GMO seeds; and promoter-reporter pairs configured to signal the presence of stressors within the GMO crop. These sensitive plants can then be planted to produce an entire crop of sensitive plants. In a variant, sensitive plants can be planted as cover crops (e.g., grass, rye, wheat) between conventional crop rotations. Sensitive plants can be transgenic to include promoter-reporter pairs configured to monitor soil health by sensing changes in soil health indicators (e.g., salinity, pH, nutrient density, nematodes, organic matter, etc.). Sensitive plants can then be planted between conventional crop rotations (e.g., during winter) to produce cover crops configured to signal soil health. For example, sensitive plants in cover crops can be transgenic to include promoter-reporter pairs configured to signal pH levels below a minimum pH level and / or above a maximum pH level. In response to the detection of low pH levels below a minimum pH level, sensitive plants can signal the low pH level by expressing promoters and reporter molecules to generate detectable signals (e.g., fluorescence). A computer system can then detect these signals via recorded images of the sensitive plants; access a reporter molecule model that correlates the sensitive plant signals with stressor stresses to identify the stressor stresses signaled by each sensitive plant; and, in response to the identification of low pH signals, identify specific action processes based on the low pH level; and prompt farmers or crop managers to apply agricultural lime to the soil to raise the soil pH level in preparation for their next crop rotation. Furthermore, the computer system can prompt farmers to perform additional action processes based on soil health signaled by the cover crop before the conventional crop is planted. Therefore, sensitive plants can be planted during the "off-season" or between conventional crops to monitor soil conditions and prompt farmers to perform specific action processes to improve soil conditions based on those monitored by the sensitive plants, in preparation for planting conventional crops.

[0063] 2. Second Method like Figure 3AAs shown, a second method S200 for identifying stressors in crops based on fluorescence of sensitive plants includes: in block S210, accessing a set of spectral images of sensitive plants sown in the crop, the sensitive plant type including a set of promoters and a set of reporters configured to signal a set of stressors present at the sensitive plant, the set of promoters and the set of reporters forming a set of promoter-reporter pairs; in block S220, accessing a reporter model to associate features extracted from the spectral images of the sensitive plants with the set of stressors based on signals generated by the set of promoter-reporter pairs in the sensitive plant type; and in block S230, identifying a first stressor present at the sensitive plant in the set of stressors based on the reporter model and features extracted from the set of spectral images.

[0064] In a variant, such as Figure 3B As shown, the second method S200 further includes: in block S218, estimating a nominal upward light spectrum based on the downward light spectrum represented in the first spectral image, the nominal upward light spectrum representing the reflectance and fluorescence of the sensitive plant in the presence of light conforming to the downward light spectrum at a first time in the absence of a first stressor. In this variant, in block S230, identifying the first stressor includes: in block S232, extracting a first intensity at a first wavelength from the upward light spectrum represented in the second spectral image; in block S234, extracting a first nominal intensity at the first wavelength from the nominal upward light spectrum; in block S236, calculating a first deviation between the first intensity at the first wavelength and the first nominal intensity; and in block S238, predicting the presence of the first stressor at the sensitive plant in response to the first deviation exceeding a threshold deviation.

[0065] In a variant, such as Figure 3A As shown, the second method S200 further includes: in block S240, separating a first action associated with the first stressor from a set of actions defined for the sensitive plant type; and in block S250, prompting the farmer to perform the first action at the crop to mitigate the first stressor in response to identifying the first stressor.

[0066] In one variant, the second method S200 includes: in block S212, accessing a first spectral image of a sensitive plant sown in a crop, the first spectral image depicting a descending light spectrum and captured at a first time by a spectrometer defining a field of view facing the sensitive plant, the sensitive plant of a sensitive plant type being configured to signal a set of stressors present at the sensitive plant; in block S214, accessing a second spectral image of the sensitive plant sown in the crop, the second spectral image depicting an ascending light spectrum and captured at approximately a first time by a spectrometer defining a field of view facing the sensitive plant; in block S220, accessing a reporter sub-model that associates solar-induced fluorescence measurements extracted from the descending and ascending light spectra of the sensitive plant with the set of stressors of the sensitive plant type; and in block S230, identifying a first stressor present at the sensitive plant in the set of stressors based on the reporter sub-model and the solar-induced fluorescence measurements.

[0067] 2.1 Application Typically, a system (e.g., a local or remote computer system in cooperation with a user (e.g., a technician, scientist, or laboratory)) can execute blocks of the second method S200 to identify stressors present at (and therefore more generally within larger cultivated crops) on a sensitive plant based on signals produced by the sensitive plant (e.g., fluorescence in the electromagnetic spectrum), the sensitive plant being genetically modified to include promoter-reporter pairs configured to activate and display signals (e.g., fluorescence) in the presence of a specific stressor. More specifically, the computer system can: access hyperspectral images of leaf regions of sensitive plants, entire sensitive plants, a group of similar sensitive plants, an entire crop of sensitive plants, or many fields of sensitive plants recorded by remote sensing systems (e.g., in handheld devices, in spray booms or poles installed in fields, in manned or unmanned field equipment, in aircraft, or in satellites); extract spectral features from these hyperspectral images; and interpret the presence and / or magnitude of a specific stressor present in a sensitive plant, flora, crop, or field based on the correlation between the spectral features extracted from these hyperspectral images and known features (e.g., fluorescence) expressed by a particular generic promoter-reporter pair in the sensitive plant.

[0068] For example, a computer system can access both, roughly simultaneously, a downlink hyperspectral image representing the downlink light spectrum (i.e., solar radiation radiating downwards onto the land) and an uplink hyperspectral image representing the uplink light spectrum (i.e., electromagnetic radiation reflected upwards and electromagnetic radiation fluorescing from the Earth, plants, and other biomass): a mobile handheld device including a hyperspectral sensor; a fixed or mobile ground-based (e.g., mounted to a spray bar or pole installed in a field) hyperspectral sensor; a hyperspectral sensor deployed in an aircraft; or a satellite including a hyperspectral sensor. In a similar implementation, an imaging system (e.g., an RGB camera, a multispectral, or a hyperspectral imaging system) can capture digital images of the plant canopy (e.g., RGB images, spectral images, hyperspectral images, multispectral images), such as including only sensitive plants or a combination of both sensitive plants and nearby non-sensitive plants. For example, the imaging system may include: an optomechanical front-view mirror supporting measurements of fluorescent and non-fluorescent targets; and a digital spectrum analyzer sensor or digital camera sensor that records images through the optomechanical front-view mirror, such as... Figure 6 As shown. The imaging system can also: capture electromagnetic radiation entering from opposite directions in a hyperspectral image (e.g., upward to capture downlink solar radiation and downward to capture uplink reflected and fluorescent radiation); and then split this hyperspectral image into separate, simultaneously downlink and uplink hyperspectral images. Optionally, the imaging system: may include an electromechanical motion system configured to rapidly change the field of view of the digital spectrum analyzer sensor; may capture the downlink hyperspectral image; and may then trigger the electromechanical motion system to capture the uplink hyperspectral image shortly after capturing the downlink hyperspectral image.

[0069] The computer system can then: extract downlink and uplink spectral features from these hyperspectral images; predict nominal fluorescence spectra of the Earth, plants, and biomass based on a biofluorescence model; and subtract the downlink spectral features and nominal fluorescence spectra from the uplink spectral features to calculate a composite spectrum representing the intensity of the wavelength of light that may be fluorescent by a sensitive plant depicted in the uplink hyperspectral image. The computer system can then: retrieve a reporter model that predicts a specific wavelength (or narrow wavelength range) of electromagnetic radiation that fluorescently illuminates the sensitive plant when a reporter gene in the sensitive plant is expressed in response to activation of an associated promoter gene in the presence of a specific stressor; extract the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation at the specific wavelength (or narrow wavelength range) of the fluorescent electromagnetic radiation predicted by the reporter model from the reporter model; and then convert the extracted intensity into a prediction of the presence of the sensitive plant represented in the uplink hyperspectral image based on parameters in the reporter model (e.g., if the extracted intensity exceeds a threshold intensity defined by the reporter model). Additionally or optionally, the computer system may use this report sub-model to convert the extracted intensity into a predicted magnitude for the presence of sensitive plants.

[0070] Therefore, a computer system (e.g., a remote server, local device, computer network) can execute blocks of the second method S200 to: access hyperspectral (or spectral) images of the sensitive plant recorded by an imaging system; process these hyperspectral images to detect signals expressed by reporter genes in the sensitive plant, but not visually discernible to humans, when triggered by corresponding promoter genes activated by a specific stressor affecting the plant; and then interpret the signal as the presence (and / or amplitude, duration) or absence of the specific stressor in the sensitive plant, a cluster of plants, a crop, or a larger terrestrial or geographic area. The computer system can then notify the user of the detected presence (and / or amplitude, duration) of the stressor and / or prompt the user to perform specific actions to effectively reduce or eliminate the stressor to a visually discernible level before (e.g., several weeks prior) the stressor damages the sensitive plant (and / or nearby plants), at which point such damage may be irreversible, and to reduce or eliminate yields from the sensitive plant (and / or nearby plants). For example, a computer system can directly send notifications or alerts to a user's mobile device (such as a smartphone), or write notifications or alerts to an alert feed that the user can access.

[0071] Therefore, the computer system can execute the block of the second method S200: remotely detect the early presence (and / or magnitude, duration) of a stressor at a specific sensitive plant or at a group of plants, in a crop or field, or in a land area or geographic area including one or more sensitive plants; and notify the user of the presence of the stressor before the stressor significantly reduces the viability or yield of the sensitive plant, group, crop, or land area.

[0072] 2.2 Promoter-reporter pair Sensitive plants can be genetically modified to include promoter and reporter pairs that indicate the presence of stressors in the plant. To detect the presence of these stressors, reporters expressing specific signals can be coupled to selected promoters, each associated with a specific stressor. More specifically, the reporters can initiate metabolic changes in the sensitive plant that generate detectable signals, such as fluorescence. Thus, when cells of a sensitive plant express a promoter associated with a specific stressor, the reporter linked to that promoter is also expressed and generates a detectable signal. For example, sensing plants can be genetically modified to fluoresce in the presence of a disease or stressor (and proportionally to the disease or stressor) (i.e., absorbing photons at one frequency and emitting photons at different frequencies). In this example, sensing plants can be modified to fluoresce in the presence of one or more diseases or other stressors (e.g., fungal, bacterial, nematode, parasite, viral, insect, heat, water stress, nutrient stress, or phytoplasmic disease).

[0073] The promoter-reporter pair can be configured according to the third method S300 described below to generate a measurable signal by pairing the reporter with the promoter so that the reporter is expressed when the promoter is expressed. More specifically, in the presence of a specific stressor, the promoter gene can be activated, thereby triggering the expression of a corresponding reporter measurable signal (e.g., fluorescence), which can be distinguished by a computer system based on a comparison of the descending solar radiation spectrum and the ascending electromagnetic radiation spectrum reflected by the sensitive plant and other nearby biomass. Based on this measurable signal, the computer system can predict the stressor present at the sensitive plant, including the promoter-reporter pair. For example, the promoter-reporter pair can be configured to generate a fluorescence signal exhibiting a high signal-to-noise ratio to reduce the impact of variations in descending solar radiation and biomass reflection (e.g., due to cloud cover) on stressor prediction. Therefore, a computer system can access a set of hyperspectral images depicting the solar spectrum (e.g., descending light spectrum) and reflectance and fluorescence spectra (e.g., ascending light spectrum) of a sensitive plant, extract the signal (e.g., the intensity of a specific wavelength or band in the electromagnetic spectrum) from these hyperspectral images, and interpret the presence of the stressor based on this signal. For example, a computer system can extract fluorescence generated by promoter-reporter pairs from hyperspectral images (e.g., descending and ascending light spectra) of a sensitive plant. Based on the fluorescence signal generated by the sensitive plant (e.g., the wavelength and intensity of the fluorescence), the computer system can identify a specific reporter associated with the fluorescence signal, and thus identify a specific promoter-reporter pair. Because the promoter is associated with a specific stressor, the computer system can identify a specific stressor present at the location of the sensitive plant, as indicated by the signal from the sensitive plant.

[0074] In one example, a computer system may (e.g., via a computing device associated with a user) access a set of hyperspectral images of a sensitive plant that has been genetically modified to include: a first promoter-reporter pair in a set of promoter-reporter pairs configured to fluoresce at a first intensity at a first wavelength in response to the presence of a first stressor at the sensitive plant; and a second promoter-reporter pair in the set of promoter-reporter pairs configured to fluoresce at a second intensity at a second wavelength in response to the presence of a second stressor at the sensitive plant. In this example, the computer system may identify the first stressor present at the sensitive plant based on the fluorescence of the sensitive plant at the first intensity at the first wavelength.

[0075] 2.3 Solar-induced fluorescence Users (such as technicians, scientists, and laboratories) can genetically modify sensitive plants to produce solar-induced fluorescence in the presence of specific stressors by including promoter-reporter pairs. Fluorescence is the process by which photons are absorbed by molecules at one frequency and emitted by those same molecules at different frequencies. In particular, solar-induced fluorescence (or "SIF") in plants is the re-emission of sunlight photons absorbed by pigments in the plant at longer wavelengths. Users can isolate solar-induced fluorescence produced by sensitive plants in a crop to identify the stressors present at the sensitive plant.

[0076] To measure fluorescence in sensitive plants, users can extract solar-induced fluorescence measurements from hyperspectral images captured by a spectrometer. Hyperspectral images can depict ascending and / or descending light spectra. A computer system can extract features from these spectra to determine the fluorescence in sensitive plants and thus determine the presence of stressors at the plants.

[0077] like Figure 7A and Figure 7B As shown, Fraunhofer lines represent wavelengths or narrow wavelength ranges—wavelengths or narrow wavelength ranges in which the solar spectrum exhibits a sharp decrease in intensity within the electromagnetic spectrum. In one variation, a computer system can identify stressors present in sensitive plants based on changes in intensity at these Fraunhofer lines. Alternatively, the computer system can measure changes in intensity at telluric lines. Thus, at these wavelengths or wavelength bands (e.g., wavelength ranges), the computer system can distinguish fluorescence generated by sensitive plants from other components of ascending light.

[0078] 2.3.1 Downlink and Uplink Users can access hyperspectral images of sensitive plants to identify stressors present at the plants. Specifically, computer systems can access hyperspectral images depicting the descending and ascending light spectra of sensitive plants and extract features from these spectra to identify stressors present at the plants. Remote sensing systems can capture these hyperspectral images depicting the descending and ascending light at sensitive plants, allowing computer systems to remotely access and interpret these hyperspectral images via a computing device associated with the user. For example, the computer system can access: a first hyperspectral image depicting the descending light spectrum and captured at a first moment by a spectrometer defining a field of view opposite the sensitive plant; and a second hyperspectral image depicting the ascending light spectrum and captured approximately at a first moment by a spectrometer defining a field of view facing the sensitive plant.

[0079] The descending light spectrum captured above the sensitive plant represents the sunlight incident on the sensitive plant. For example... Figure 5AAs shown, the descending light spectrum (or "solar spectrum") reveals a fine spectral structure. Ascending light includes light that is both reflected from and emitted by the sensitive plant. Therefore, ascending light takes into account both reflected light and fluorescence. Figure 5B As shown, the uplink optical spectrum exhibits a fine spectral structure similar to that of the downlink optical spectrum.

[0080] Ascending light comprises both reflected light and fluorescence. While the reflected light spectrum reveals the fine spectral structure of descending light, the fluorescence spectrum is spectrally smooth. Reflected light is proportional to descending light; therefore, the reflected light spectrum exhibits a similar shape to the descending light spectrum. However, fluorescence exhibits a spectrally smooth shape, distinct from both the descending and reflected light spectra. Therefore, computer systems can identify stressors present in sensitive plants based on the differences in the shapes of the descending and ascending light spectra. Computer systems can identify variations in the fine spectral structure of specific ascending and descending light spectra to pinpoint the presence of stressors in sensitive plants. For example, a computer system can: access a first hyperspectral image captured by a spectrometer depicting a descending light spectrum and defining a field of view facing the sensitive plant at a first moment; access a second hyperspectral image depicting an ascending light spectrum, captured by a spectrometer defining a field of view facing the sensitive plant at approximately a first moment (e.g., within one second, within five seconds, within one minute, etc.); access a reporter model that associates measurements of solar-induced fluorescence extracted from the descending and ascending light spectra with a set of stressors in a type of sensitive plant; and identify a first stressor present at the sensitive plant based on the reporter model and features of the set of hyperspectral images. Thus, the computer system can identify the fluorescence of the sensitive plant based on the differences between the descending and ascending light spectra, and therefore identify the stressor present at the sensitive plant based on these differences.

[0081] Additionally and / or optionally, the computer system may normalize the downlink and uplink light spectra captured by the remote sensor system and thus extract normalized features (e.g., normalized intensities at specific wavelength ranges) from these spectra to identify stressors at sensitive plants based on these normalized features.

[0082] In one variant, a user can identify variations in the ascending light spectrum relative to the descending light spectrum by examining the wavelength intensity of the spectrum at the Fraunhofer lines, in order to identify stressors present in sensitive plants. For example, a computer system can: extract normalized descending intensity at wavelengths (or wavelength bands) corresponding to the Fraunhofer lines from the descending spectrum depicted in a first hyperspectral image; extract normalized ascending intensity at wavelengths (or wavelength ranges) corresponding to the Fraunhofer lines in the electromagnetic spectrum from the ascending spectrum depicted in a second hyperspectral image; calculate the difference or ratio between the ascending and descending intensities; and, in response to the difference exceeding a threshold difference, identify a first stressor present in the sensitive plant.

[0083] In one implementation, the computer system can access an average downlight spectrum representing a set of downlight spectra captured during a first set duration (e.g., 1 hour, 6 hours, 12 hours) and an average uplight spectrum representing a set of uplight spectra captured during the set duration. The remote sensing system can capture images of the sensitive plant at different angles and at different times throughout the day. In one implementation, the remote sensing system captures images of the sensitive plant between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM (e.g., when direct sunlight is maximized).

[0084] 2.3.2 Nominal Uplink Beam Ascending light comprises reflected light and fluorescent emission. In the absence of fluorescent emission (e.g., in the absence of a signaling sensitive plant), ascending light represents reflected light. The reflected light can be estimated as a portion (e.g., 50%, 70%, 90%) of the descending light at a specific wavelength based on the reflectance of the sensitive plant. Thus, in the absence of fluorescence, the ascending light spectrum exhibits approximately the same structure as the corresponding (e.g., at the same location, time, and day) descending light spectrum, but its intensity is reduced according to wavelength, taking into account absorbed and transmitted light (e.g., light that is not reflected).

[0085] Users can develop ascending light models for modeling ascending light in the absence of fluorescence, based on downlight measurements (e.g., light intensity at various wavelengths). For example, a user can: access a first hyperspectral image depicting the downlight spectrum at a sensitive plant, and access a second hyperspectral image depicting the ascending light spectrum, recorded by a high-resolution spectrometer at a first type of non-sensitive plant; extract reflectance and baseline fluorescence spectra based on the downlight spectrum; calculate the reflectance factor based on the reflectance and downlight spectra; and generate an ascending light model based on the reflectance factor and baseline fluorescence spectra. The computer system can improve the ascending light model by repeating this process on multiple downlight and ascending light spectra to calculate an average reflectance factor and / or an average baseline fluorescence measurement. The computer system can then access this ascending light model to generate a nominal ascending light spectrum (e.g., the expected ascending light spectrum in the absence of stressors) based on the measured downlight spectrum. Therefore, the computer system can compare the ascending light spectrum with (e.g., as estimated by the ascending light model) the nominal ascending light spectrum to identify stressors present at sensitive plants.

[0086] In one implementation, the computer system can estimate the nominal uplink spectrum based on the following uplink light model: (Equation 1) The computer system can estimate the nominal uplink light using Equation 1. y(λ) ,in y(λ) This refers to the nominal upward light predicted (or "expected upward light") in the absence of stressors. r(λ) This indicates the reflectivity of the canopy (e.g., the reflectivity of sensitive plants and their surroundings). s(λ) This indicates the measured downlink light. f(λ) Indicating canopy fluorescence (e.g., the fluorescence of sensitive plants and their surroundings), and a and b It is the intensity factor.

[0087] In one variation, the computer system can generate an uplight model that takes into account external factors (such as other types of plants, soil, rocks, etc.) included in images of sensitive plants. For example, the computer system can access a set of hyperspectral images recorded from a satellite. In this example, the hyperspectral images may correspond to the entire crop rather than just the sensitive plant. Therefore, the computer system can estimate the nominal uplight of the entire crop without stressors based on the type of plant, soil, and / or other features represented in the hyperspectral images.

[0088] Typically, a computer system can generate an ascending light model in real time. The system can then access the ascending light model to examine the difference between the ascending light spectrum recorded at the sensitive plant and the nominal ascending light spectrum estimated using the ascending light model and based on the descending light spectrum, in order to determine whether stress is present at a first type of sensitive plant. For example, the computer system can: access the descending and ascending light spectra of the sensitive plant recorded by a high-resolution spectrometer; access the ascending light model; estimate the nominal ascending light spectrum based on the ascending light model and the descending light spectrum; calculate the deviation between the area of ​​the ascending light spectrum between a first wavelength and a second wavelength (e.g., within a narrow wavelength range) and the area of ​​the modeled ascending light spectrum between the first wavelength and the second wavelength; and, in response to this deviation exceeding a threshold deviation, identify the specific stressor present at the sensitive plant.

[0089] 2.3.3 Extraction of reporter fluorescence In one variant, a computer system can extract solar-induced fluorescence spectra of a sensitive plant from downlight and uplight spectra recorded at the plant to identify specific stressors present at the plant. For example, the computer system can: access uplight spectra recorded at the sensitive plant, which are a combination of a reflected light spectrum and a measured fluorescence spectrum; and extract reporter fluorescence spectra based on the uplight and downlight spectra. In this example, the computer system can extract the reporter fluorescence spectrum by: estimating the reflected light spectrum by multiplying the downlight spectrum by a reflectance factor; estimating the measured fluorescence spectrum as a first difference between the uplight and reflected light spectra; and estimating the reporter fluorescence spectrum as equivalent to the measured fluorescence spectrum.

[0090] The computer system can further refine the reporter fluorescence spectrum by taking into account fluorescence not produced by the sensitive plant (e.g., fluorescence produced by other plants, soil, etc.). For example, the computer system can: access a model fluorescence spectrum corresponding to the total fluorescence in the region of the sensitive plant; calculate a second difference between the measured fluorescence spectrum and the model fluorescence spectrum; and estimate the reporter fluorescence spectrum of the sensitive plant based on this difference.

[0091] Once the user extracts the reporter fluorescence spectrum, the computer system can identify the specific reporter associated with the reporter fluorescence spectrum, and thus identify specific promoter-reporter pairs and specific stressors associated with the fluorescence signals produced by sensitive plants.

[0092] In one variant, a computer system can estimate reporter fluorescence based on approximately simultaneous uplight and downlight captured from a sensitive plant using Fraunhofer lines to predict the presence of a stressor. The computer system can estimate the reporter fluorescence as the difference between the measured downlight and measured uplight. For example, the computer system can: extract downlight intensity from a first hyperspectral image depicting the downlight spectrum at wavelengths associated with Fraunhofer lines in the electromagnetic spectrum; extract uplight intensity (e.g., normalized uplight intensity) from a second hyperspectral image depicting the uplight spectrum (e.g., normalized uplight intensity) at wavelengths associated with Fraunhofer lines in the electromagnetic spectrum; calculate the difference between the uplight and downlight intensities; and identify a first stressor present at the sensitive plant in response to the difference exceeding a threshold difference. In this example, the computer system can estimate the reporter fluorescence as equivalent to the difference between the uplight and downlight intensities.

[0093] In one variant, the computer system can estimate the reporter fluorescence spectrum from the uplight spectrum and the downlight spectrum. For example, the computer system can: access the downlight spectrum and the uplight spectrum, where the uplight spectrum represents the sum of the reflected light spectrum and the fluorescence spectrum; and extract the reporter fluorescence spectrum from the uplight spectrum. In this example, to extract the reporter fluorescence spectrum, the computer system can: estimate the reflected light spectrum based on the reflectance factor of the sensitive plant in the presence of light conforming to the downlight spectrum at a first time; estimate the fluorescence spectrum based on a first difference between the uplight spectrum and the reflected light spectrum; and estimate the reporter fluorescence spectrum as the fluorescence spectrum. Alternatively, to improve the reporter fluorescence spectrum, the computer system can: access the nominal fluorescence spectrum representing the fluorescence in the region of the sensitive plant in the absence of a first stressor in the presence of light conforming to the downlight spectrum at a first time; calculate a second difference between the fluorescence spectrum and the nominal fluorescence spectrum; and estimate the reporter fluorescence spectrum of the sensitive plant based on this difference. In this example, the computer system can take into account fluorescence captured in the uplight spectrum depicted in the hyperspectral image, generated by external factors (e.g., other fluorescent plants and soil). Therefore, a computer system can extract fluorescence spectra (e.g., total fluorescence) from the uplink light spectrum and then further extract reporter fluorescence spectra (e.g., fluorescence initiated by reporters in sensitive plants).

[0094] The computer system can access a reporter sub-model that associates fluorescence measurements of sensitive plants extracted from a set of hyperspectral images with a specific stressor. For example, a user can extract a first intensity at a first wavelength from the uplight spectrum depicted in a first hyperspectral image. The user can then access a reporter sub-model that associates the first intensity at the first wavelength with the presence of a first stressor. In this example, the user can access a reporter sub-model that associates wavelength intensity with a specific stressor. In another example, the user can: extract the first intensity at the first wavelength from the uplight spectrum depicted in the first hyperspectral image; extract the first nominal intensity at the first wavelength from the nominal uplight spectrum representing the reflectance and fluorescence of the sensitive plant in the absence of the first stressor, in the presence of light; calculate a first deviation between the first intensity at the first wavelength associated with the reporter sub-model and the first nominal intensity; and predict the presence of a stressor at the sensitive plant in response to the first deviation exceeding a threshold deviation. The user can access a reporter sub-model that associates the first deviation with a specific stressor present at the sensitive plant based on the fluorescence characteristics (wavelength intensity) of the reporter. Therefore, the user can first determine the presence of a stressor and then determine the presence of a specific stressor based on the reporter sub-model.

[0095] 2.4 Predicting Stressors A computer system can extract features from a set of hyperspectral images to predict the presence of stressors at sensitive plants. For example, the computer system can access a first hyperspectral image depicting a descending light spectrum and a second hyperspectral image depicting an ascending light spectrum. The computer system can then: estimate a nominal ascending light spectrum based on the descending light spectrum represented in the first hyperspectral image, which represents the reflectance and fluorescence of the sensitive plant in the absence of a first stressor in the presence of light conforming to the descending light spectrum at a first time; extract a first intensity at a first wavelength from the ascending light spectrum represented in the second hyperspectral image; extract a first nominal intensity at the first wavelength from the nominal ascending light spectrum; calculate a first deviation between the first intensity at the first wavelength and the first nominal intensity; and predict the presence of a first stressor at the sensitive plant in response to the first deviation exceeding a threshold deviation. Furthermore, as... Figure 3C As shown, the computer system can: extract a second intensity at a second wavelength from the uplight spectrum represented in the second hyperspectral image; extract a second nominal intensity at the second wavelength from the nominal uplight spectrum; calculate a second deviation between the second intensity at the second wavelength and the second nominal intensity; and predict the presence of a first stressor at the sensitive plant in response to the second deviation exceeding a threshold deviation. Therefore, the computer system can predict the presence of stressors at sensitive plants based on the uplight spectrum, the downlight spectrum, and (e.g., as defined by the uplight model) the nominal uplight spectrum.

[0096] In a variant, such as Figure 3B and Figure 3C As shown, a computer system can calculate a confidence score representing a specific stressor, which indicates the user's confidence in the presence of the specific stressor in a sensitive plant. For example, the computer system can: calculate a first deviation between a first intensity at a first wavelength in the ascending light spectrum and a first nominal intensity at a first wavelength in the nominal ascending light spectrum; and calculate a first confidence score based on the first deviation. Then, in response to predicting the presence of the first stressor based on the first deviation, the computer system can: calculate a second deviation between a second intensity at a second wavelength in the ascending light spectrum and a second nominal intensity at a second wavelength in the nominal ascending light spectrum; calculate a second confidence score based on the first deviation and the second deviation, the second confidence score being greater than the first confidence score; and predict the presence of the first stressor in response to the second confidence score exceeding a threshold confidence score. Optionally, in response to the second deviation being lower than a threshold deviation, the computer system may: calculate a third confidence score based on the first and second deviations, wherein the third confidence score is lower than the first confidence score; and in response to the third confidence score being lower than a threshold confidence score, predict that the first stressor is not present at the sensitive plant.

[0097] In one example, the computer system can calculate a first deviation of 10% between a first intensity at a first wavelength in the ascending light spectrum and a first nominal intensity at a first wavelength in the nominal ascending light spectrum. Then, in response to the deviation exceeding a threshold deviation, the computer system can: calculate a first confidence score of 50% based on the first deviation; calculate a second deviation of 10% between a second intensity at a second wavelength in the measured ascending light spectrum and a second nominal intensity at a second wavelength in the nominal ascending light spectrum; calculate a second confidence score of 90% based on the first and second deviations; and predict the presence of a first stressor at the sensitive plant in response to the confidence score exceeding a threshold confidence score.

[0098] In one variant, in response to predicting the presence of stressors, the computer system can isolate actions that can mitigate the stressors and suggest these actions to a user associated with a crop, including a sensitive plant. For example, in response to identifying a first stressor present at a sensitive plant, the computer system can: isolate a first action associated with the first stressor from a set of actions defined for a sensitive plant type; and transmit a notification to the computing device of a user associated with the crop to perform the first action at the crop to mitigate the first stressor. Thus, the computer system can alert the user to the presence of stressors in the crop and suggest specific actions to mitigate them.

[0099] 2.4.1 Stressor Magnitude In one variant, the computer system can identify the magnitude of a specific stressor based on the intensity of the ascending light spectrum at a specific wavelength. In this variant, the computer system can identify a specific wavelength (or wavelength range) at which a specific promoter-reporter pair produces a detectable signal. The computer system can then measure the intensity of the ascending light at these frequencies to determine the presence of the stressor in the sensitive plant and to determine the stressor magnitude (e.g., the degree of stressor presence). For example, a user could genetically modify a sensitive plant to include a first promoter-reporter pair configured to signal the presence of a first stressor and, in the presence of the first stressor, generate maximum red fluorescence at approximately 580 nm. In predicting the presence of the first stressor in the sensitive plant, the computer system can measure the intensity of the ascending light spectrum at 580 nm based on a set of hyperspectral images depicting the descending and ascending light spectra. In response to measuring a relatively high intensity, the computer system can predict a relatively high magnitude of the first stressor in the sensitive plant. Optionally, in response to the measurement of a relatively low intensity, the computer system can predict a relatively low amplitude of the first stressor at the sensitive plant. Therefore, the computer system can estimate the amplitude of a specific stressor at the sensitive plant based on the strength (e.g., intensity) of the signal generated by the sensitive plant.

[0100] In one implementation, the computer system can determine the magnitude of the stressor based on intensity variations within a narrow wavelength range in the uplink light. For example, the computer system can, at a first time: extract a first intensity at a first wavelength and a second intensity at a second wavelength from the uplink spectrum represented in a hyperspectral image of the sensitive plant; and extract a first nominal intensity at the first wavelength and a second nominal intensity at the second wavelength from the nominal uplink spectrum. The computer system can then: extract a first area in the uplink spectrum between the first and second wavelengths based on the first and second intensities; extract a nominal area in the nominal uplink spectrum between the first and second wavelengths based on the first and second nominal intensities; calculate the difference between the first area and the nominal area; and estimate the magnitude of the first stressor present at the sensitive plant in proportion to this difference. The computer system can select the first and second wavelengths based on the wavelength at which a specific reporter from the sensitive plant is expected to generate fluorescence. Therefore, a computer system can estimate the magnitude of a specific stressor present in a sensitive plant based on the strength (e.g., intensity) of the signal produced by the sensitive plant within a narrow wavelength range corresponding to the fluorescence of a specific reporter associated with a specific stressor.

[0101] 2.4.2 Detection of promoter-reporter pair signals In one variant, the computer system can detect solar-induced fluorescence signals by performing narrow-wavelength measurements near dark spectral features in incident solar radiation. Narrow-band techniques associated with Fraunhofer lines (absorptions from the solar atmosphere) and atmospheric lines (originating from the absorption of molecules in Earth's atmosphere) enable the measurement of light signals during the day without external illumination. The computer system can extract these narrow-wavelength measurements from hyperspectral images of sensitive plants (e.g., at these Fraunhofer lines and / or atmospheric lines) to identify fluorescence signals produced by the sensitive plants. By extracting these narrow-wavelength measurements, the computer system can detect small, fuzzy signals both definitively and accurately from hyperspectral images collected both on the ground and in the air. Therefore, the computer system can detect signals produced by sensitive plants from hyperspectral images collected over a wide range of distances.

[0102] Computer systems can access hyperspectral images of sensitive plants collected at close range. For example, a computer system can access hyperspectral images of sensitive plants collected from tools mounted on top of self-propelled equipment (e.g., a pole placed in a crop and equipped with devices for collecting images of sensitive plants). Figure 6As shown. In another example, the computer system can access hyperspectral images of sensitive plants manually captured by farmers operating unmanned aerial vehicles (or "UAVs") or dispatching autonomous UAVs to scan the area of ​​the crop where the sensing plants are located, thereby collecting images of these sensing plants. In one implementation, the computer system can access hyperspectral images of sensitive plants captured by a sensing device configured to be mounted (e.g., clipped) to the leaves or stems of the sensitive plant and to capture close-up images of fluorescent surfaces on the sensing plant at a high frequency (e.g., once per minute, once per hour). In these examples, the computer system can access these hyperspectral images from a remote database, which is uploaded to the remote database via a cellular network or downloaded to the mobile device or vehicle via a local self-organizing wireless network when the mobile device or vehicle is nearby, and then uploaded from the mobile device or vehicle to the remote database. In another implementation, the computer system can access hyperspectral images manually collected by farmers on mobile devices. In this implementation, the computer system can access hyperspectral images collected on a mobile device, which are either electronically uploaded to a remote storage device or automatically uploaded via a native or web-based agricultural application running on the mobile device. The computer system can directly interpret the stress on the plant from features extracted from these close-up images to generate a high-resolution, short-interval time-series representation of the health status of the sensed plant. The computer system can then combine this high-resolution, short-interval time-series representation of the sensed plant's health status with features extracted from low-frequency, wide-field-of-view images of the plant cluster or the entire field containing the sensed plant to predict the health status of multiple or all plants in the field.

[0103] Optionally, the computer system can access hyperspectral images of sensitive plants collected from a medium distance to collect wavelength measurements. These hyperspectral images are captured from manned or unmanned vehicles. In one implementation, the computer system can access hyperspectral images of sensitive plants captured by a farmer driving a vehicle along the edge of a crop or a specific area of ​​the crop containing the sensing plant, and collect the images via a handheld device or a device mounted on the farmer's vehicle. The computer system can then access these timestamped and georeferenced hyperspectral images from a remote database, either during upload or at a later time.

[0104] In another variation, the computer system can access hyperspectral images captured from a distance to collect wavelength measurements. The computer system can access hyperspectral images of farmland captured by long-duration, high-altitude manned or unmanned aircraft or by satellites (such as OCO-2 or GOSAT). For example, the computer system can access satellite images of an entire farmland, including multiple clusters of sensed plants. These hyperspectral images can be accessed at lower frequencies and lower resolutions compared to images accessed from short-range optical sensors (such as mobile devices). Therefore, the computer system can access hyperspectral images collected from both long and short distances.

[0105] Computer systems can access hyperspectral images captured by various methods that collect hyperspectral images of sensitive plants from a range of distances and at various image resolutions, and extract wavelength measurements to collect high-quality data that enables a rapid, targeted response to specific plant stressors, thereby increasing the yield of nearby plants in the same field. In one implementation, the computer system can access hyperspectral images captured at a pole located at the center of a first sensing plant cluster in the crop, equipped with a high-resolution optical sensor (e.g., an RGB camera, multispectral camera or spectrometer, thermal camera, or IR camera). The optical sensor is configured to capture high-resolution images of the sensing plants at multiple times per day and upload the hyperspectral images to a remote database. The computer system can access these high-resolution images from the remote database to collect stressor data for specific sensing plant clusters. Furthermore, the computer system can access hyperspectral images collected by a satellite configured to capture, for example, low-resolution images of the entire crop that may include multiple sensing plant clusters every two weeks. The computer system can then: access these hyperspectral images from a satellite imagery database; generate a model that correlates the performance of the first sensed plant cluster with other clusters in the crop, based on the daily performance of the first cluster and the bi-weekly performance of all sensed plant clusters in the crop; and interpolate the performance of the entire crop in areas with or without sensed plants. In another example, when the computer system calculates a specific pressure at the first sensed plant cluster, it also signals to the farmer or agronomist to collect leaf or soil samples from the area of ​​the crop containing the sensed plant cluster and to test the samples to obtain an accurate pressure reading. The computer system can then access this measurement to correlate the data detected by the sensed plants and the stressors with the magnitude of pressure in the plant.

[0106] The computer system can access hyperspectral images of sensitive plants collected from various devices, such as handheld cameras, handheld spectrometers, mobile phones, or any other devices. These devices include high-resolution spectrometers, including those with specific coatings or otherwise configured to detect wavelengths of fluorescent, cold-light, or electromagnetic radiation transmitted by the sensing plant in the presence of specific stressors. In one variant, the computer system can access hyperspectral images collected from various instruments, as different instruments can be used depending on the compound of interest, since the wavelengths of different compounds are best observed under different conditions and may require different detection modes.

[0107] 3. The Third Method like Figure 4A As shown, a third method S300 for selecting reporters for the detection of stressors in crops based on fluorescence in sensitive plants includes: in block S310, accessing a nominal upward light spectrum representing reflectance and fluorescence in a region of the crop; in block S312, extracting a nominal peak intensity at a first wavelength from the nominal upward light spectrum of the region of the crop; in block S320, accessing a first fluorescence spectrum depicting the fluorescence of a first reporter gene among a set of reporters when it is expressed; in block S322, extracting a first peak intensity at a first wavelength from the first fluorescence spectrum of the first reporter gene; in block S330, calculating a first signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the first peak intensity of the first reporter gene to the nominal intensity of the region of the crop; and in block S340, selecting a first reporter gene in response to the first SNR exceeding a threshold SNR. The third method S300 further includes: in block S350, pairing a first promoter gene from a set of promoter genes associated with a first stressor in a set of stressors with a first reporter gene to form a first promoter-reporter pair, the first promoter-reporter pair being configured to trigger fluorescence in the presence of the first stressor; and in block S360, transgenic sensitive plants are configured to include the first promoter-reporter pair, thereby enabling the sensitive plants to signal the presence of the first stressor.

[0108] 3.1 Application Typically, a system (e.g., a local or remote computer system working in conjunction with a user (e.g., a laboratory technician, operator) can execute blocks of the third method S300 to design sensitive plants to include promoter-reporter pairs configured to detect specific stressors present in the sensitive plant and to generate a detectable signal (e.g., in the electromagnetic spectrum) upon detection of the specific stressor. In particular, a user can transgenerate sensitive plants to include: a promoter configured to activate in the presence of a specific stressor (e.g., "associated with a specific stressor"); and a reporter paired with the promoter and configured to display (or "express") a signal when the promoter is activated in the sensitive plant. For example, a computer system can collaborate with a user to transgenerate sensitive plants to actively generate a signal (e.g., active fluorescence) in the presence of a stressor without excitation by the sensitive plant, the signal being configured for detection via passive remote detection. Thus, a computer system can collaborate with a user to transgenerate sensitive plants to include promoter-reporter pairs that generate easily detectable signals in the presence of these stressors.

[0109] A computer system can select (or guide the user to select) a reporter for a specific promoter-reporter pair based on a specific wavelength or wavelength range (e.g., narrowband) in which the reporter produces a detectable signal in a sensitive plant. More specifically, the computer system (or the user, guided by the computer system) can select a reporter that generates a measurable difference in the ascending light spectrum of a sensitive plant in the presence of a stressor when compared with a model ascending light spectrum representing a sensitive plant in the absence of a stressor. For example, the computer system can select (or suggest to the user) a first reporter that generates fluorescence of the sensitive plant in the electromagnetic spectrum between 540 nm and 660 nm. To increase the detectability of the signal generated by the sensitive plant (e.g., via the reporter), the computer system can select a reporter that generates fluorescence at a specific wavelength in the solar spectrum where the intensity of the light decreases sharply. For example, as... Figure 7A and Figure 7B As shown, the computer system can selectively generate fluorescent reporters for sensitive plants near the Fraunhofer lines present in the solar spectrum. Alternatively, the computer system can selectively generate fluorescent reporters for sensitive plants near atmospheric lines present in the solar spectrum.

[0110] In one implementation, the computer system can select a reporter based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a fluorescence signal generated by a sensitive plant in the presence of a stressor to the upflow light captured at the sensitive plant in the absence of a stressor. For example, the computer system can: calculate the SNR of fluorescence generated by a sensitive plant in the presence of a stressor to the upflow light captured at the sensitive plant (e.g., at a specific wavelength, within a wavelength range) in the absence of a stressor, wherein the sensitive plant includes a specific promoter-reporter pair; and select a specific reporter for inclusion in a first promoter-reporter pair in response to the SNR exceeding a threshold SNR. Thus, by selecting a reporter that generates a relatively high SNR, the computer system can achieve the detection of signals generated by sensitive plants in the presence of a stressor.

[0111] When selecting a first reporter, the computer system may pair the first reporter with a first promoter (or suggest to the user that the first reporter be paired with the first promoter) to form a first promoter-reporter pair configured to detect and signal the presence of a first stressor. The computer system may select (or suggest) the first promoter based on the type of stressor associated with it. Once paired with a promoter, the computer system can transgenerate a sensitive plant to include the first promoter-reporter pair, and the sensitive plant is configured to signal the presence of a first stressor at the sensitive plant. Furthermore, the computer system can transgenerate a sensitive plant to include multiple promoter-reporter pairs.

[0112] 3.2 Promoter-reporter pair Users can transgenerate sensitive plants to include promoter-reporter pairs configured to signal the presence of a stressor at the sensitive plant. The computer system can: select a promoter associated with a specific stressor for the promoter-reporter pair; select a reporter corresponding to a specific solar-induced fluorescence spectrum (“fluorescence spectrum” hereinafter); and pair the promoter and reporter (e.g., suggest to the user that the promoter and reporter be paired) to form a promoter-reporter pair. Therefore, the computer system can select promoter-reporter pairs (e.g., suggest promoter-reporter pairs to the user) for transgenerating sensitive plants to include promoter-reporter pairs, the sensitive plants being configured to fluoresce in the presence of a specific stressor.

[0113] Sensitive plants may include promoter-reporter pairs configured to signal the presence of a specific biotic and / or abiotic stress (e.g., pests, disease, water, heat, soil health, and / or nutrient stress or deficiency) experienced by the sensitive plant. For example, sensitive plants may be transgenic to include promoters having activity associated with the presence of a stressor (e.g., fungi, pests, heat, water, disease, or nutrient stress) at the plant site. Sensitive plants may also be transgenic to include reporters that pair with a promoter and are configured to produce a detectable signal (e.g., an electromagnetic signal in the visible or infrared spectrum) when the corresponding promoter is activated. For example, a reporter in a sensitive plant may be configured to fluoresce (i.e., produce a signal in the visible spectrum) when the corresponding promoter is activated in the sensitive plant. More particularly, promoter-reporter pairs can be incorporated into sensitive plants using molecular binding and metabolic engineering techniques that associate the expression of a promoter in response to a specific biotic stress with a reporter that produces a measurable signal when the promoter is expressed. Promoter-reporter pairs can be configured to generate measurable signals by pairing a reporter with a promoter such that the reporter is expressed when the promoter is expressed. Therefore, through reporter expression, promoter-reporter pairs can generate measurable signals for specific biological stresses or traits in sensitive plants.

[0114] A computer system can pair promoters and reporters to form a set of promoter-reporter pairs. The computer system can select promoter-reporter pairs based on the detectability of the signal generated by the reporter and recommend these pairs to a user for inclusion in transgenic sensitive plants. To select a reporter, the computer system can compare the fluorescence generated by the reporter with nominal ascending light. In one example, the computer system can: access a nominal ascending light spectrum representing reflectance and fluorescence in a region of the crop; extract a nominal peak intensity at a first wavelength from the nominal ascending light spectrum of the region of the crop; access a fluorescence spectrum corresponding to a red fluorescent protein; extract a first fluorescence spectrum depicting the fluorescence of the red fluorescent protein when expressed; and select a first reporter gene in response to a first signal-to-noise ratio exceeding a threshold signal-to-noise ratio between the first peak intensity and the first nominal intensity. The computer system can then: pair a first promoter associated with plant dehydration with a red fluorescent protein to form a first promoter-reporter pair; and transgenic sensitive plants to include the first promoter-reporter pair, the sensitive plants being configured to fluoresce at a first intensity at a first wavelength in response to dehydration of the sensitive plants.

[0115] 3.3 Nominal Uplink Beam The computer system can access the nominal ascending light spectrum to select a reporter for the promoter-reporter pair. The nominal ascending light spectrum represents the ascending light at or around a sensitive plant in the absence of a stressor. In one variant, the computer system can access the nominal ascending light spectrum to locate a region of electromagnetic spectrum where the fluorescence signal generated by the reporter in the presence of a stressor can exhibit a higher signal-to-noise ratio compared to the nominal ascending light in the absence of a stressor.

[0116] A computer system can generate a nominal ascending spectrum of fluorescence that takes into account (e.g., based on descending light), reflected light (e.g., in the absence of stressors), plant fluorescence, and other environmental factors (e.g., other plants, soil). Thus, a computer system can generate a set of nominal ascending spectra, each corresponding to a unique environment (e.g., geographical region, area within the crop, etc.).

[0117] When selecting a reporter for the detection of stressors in sensitive plants, the computer system can access a nominal ascending light spectrum. For example, the computer system can: access a nominal ascending light spectrum representing reflectance and fluorescence within a region of the crop; extract a nominal peak intensity at a first wavelength from the nominal ascending light spectrum of the crop region; access a first fluorescence spectrum depicting the fluorescence of a first reporter gene among a set of reporters when expressed; extract a first peak intensity at a first wavelength from the first fluorescence spectrum of the first reporter gene; calculate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the first peak intensity of the first reporter gene to the nominal intensity of the crop region; and select the first reporter gene in response to the first SNR exceeding a threshold SNR. Therefore, the computer system can access a nominal ascending light spectrum to check the detectability of a particular reporter.

[0118] 3.4 Fluorescence spectrum Computer systems can access fluorescence spectra corresponding to specific reporters in order to select reporters for promoter-reporter pairs. For example, a computer system can access: a first fluorescence spectrum depicting the fluorescence of a first reporter gene in a set of reporters when expressed; a second fluorescence spectrum depicting the fluorescence of a second reporter gene in the same set of reporters when expressed; and a third fluorescence spectrum depicting the fluorescence of a third reporter gene in the same set of reporters when expressed. The computer system can extract features from these fluorescence spectra to determine whether a particular reporter is detectable.

[0119] A computer system can determine the detectability of a particular reporter by comparing the detectability characteristics of its fluorescence spectrum with those of a nominal uplink spectrum. For example, the computer system can: access a first fluorescence spectrum depicting the fluorescence of a first reporter gene in a set of reporters when it is expressed; and extract a first peak intensity at a first wavelength from the first fluorescence spectrum of the first reporter gene. The computer system can then select a first reporter based on the first peak intensity at the first wavelength. Additionally, the computer system can select a specific wavelength or wavelength band (e.g., a wavelength range) at which it extracts the peak intensity of the fluorescence spectrum. For example, the computer system can extract the first peak intensity at a first wavelength corresponding to an atmospheric spectral line in the nominal uplink spectrum from the first fluorescence spectrum of the first reporter gene. Therefore, the computer system can select a reporter for a promoter-reporter pair based on the detectability of the signal generated by the reporter compared to the nominal uplink.

[0120] 3.5.1 Signal-to-noise ratio Users (e.g., technicians, scientists, laboratories, etc.) can select reporters based on wavelength, at which sensitive plants fluoresce in the presence of specific stressors. More specifically, users can select reporters that fluoresce at specific wavelengths (or wavelength ranges) and at specific intensities in the presence of stressors, so that the fluorescence generated by sensitive plants including reporters can be distinguished from the fluorescence generated by other environmental factors (e.g., other plants, soil, rocks).

[0121] In one implementation, a user can compare the intensity of peaks at the same wavelength in the fluorescence spectrum of a reporter and in the nominal ascending light spectrum representing the ascending light at a sensitive plant in the absence of a stressor. In this implementation, the user can select a reporter for a sensitive plant based on a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between the intensity of a first peak in the reporter's fluorescence spectrum and the intensity of a nominal peak in the nominal ascending light spectrum, where the first peak and the nominal peak are at the same wavelength. For example, a computer system can: access a nominal ascending light spectrum representing reflectance and fluorescence within a region of the crop; extract the nominal peak intensity at a first wavelength from the nominal ascending light spectrum of the crop region; access a first fluorescence spectrum depicting the fluorescence of a first reporter gene among a set of reporters when expressed; extract the first peak intensity at a first wavelength from the first fluorescence spectrum of the first reporter gene; calculate a first SNR between the first peak intensity of the first reporter and the nominal intensity of the crop region; and select the first reporter gene in response to the first SNR exceeding a threshold SNR. The computer system can then pair the first reporter with a first promoter associated with the first stressor (e.g., suggest pairing to the user) to form a first promoter-reporter pair. This first promoter-reporter pair is configured to signal the presence of the first stressor and enable the user to transgenerate sensitive plants to include the first promoter-reporter pair. Therefore, by selecting a first promoter-reporter pair, the computer system enables the user to transgenerate sensitive plants to signal the presence of the first stressor.

[0122] Furthermore, in a variant, such as Figure 4A As shown, a computer system can check the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) within a narrow wavelength band by calculating the SNR at an additional wavelength (e.g., at a second wavelength). For example, in response to a first SNR exceeding a threshold SNR, the computer system can: in block S314, extract a second nominal peak intensity at the second wavelength from the nominal uplink spectrum of the crop region; in block S324, extract a second peak intensity at the second wavelength from the first fluorescence spectrum of the first reporter gene; in block S332, calculate a second SNR between the second intensity of the first reporter gene and the nominal intensity of the crop region; and in response to the second SNR exceeding the threshold SNR, select the first reporter gene. Therefore, the computer system can check that the reporter gene generates a detectable signal across a certain wavelength range.

[0123] 3.7 Multiple promoter-reporter pairs In one implementation, the computer system can select multiple promoter-reporter pairs for inclusion in a specific sensitive plant. For example, the computer system may initially select a first reporter from a set of reporters for inclusion in the sensitive plant based on a first signal-to-noise ratio between ascending light (e.g., including fluorescence generated by the reporter) in the presence of a first stressor and ascending light in the absence of the first stressor. The first reporter is paired with a first promoter to form a first promoter-reporter pair configured to signal the presence of the first stressor. The computer system can then: select a second reporter; combine a second promoter associated with a second stressor with the second reporter to form a second promoter-reporter pair configured to signal the presence of the second stressor; and transgenerate the first promoter-reporter pair and the second promoter-reporter pair, with the sensitive plant configured to signal the presence of the first and second stressors at the sensitive plant.

[0124] The computer system can select multiple reporters based on the signal-to-noise ratio calculated about the uplink optical spectrum of the model described above and / or based on minimizing the overlapping signal between reporters. For example, as Figure 4B As shown, in response to selecting a first reporter with the maximum signal-to-noise ratio at the first wavelength, the computer system can access the fluorescence spectrum corresponding to the second reporter. Then, in response to the fluorescence spectrum showing a peak at the second wavelength (where the second wavelength is at the minimum distance from the first wavelength), the computer system can: calculate the signal-to-noise ratio of the intensity of the peak in the fluorescence spectrum at the second wavelength to the nominal intensity of the nominal upward light spectrum at the second wavelength (e.g., in the absence of any stressor); and select the second reporter in response to the second signal-to-noise ratio exceeding a threshold signal-to-noise ratio.

[0125] In one example, a computer system can transgenic sensitive plants to include: a first promoter-reporter pair configured to fluoresce at a first wavelength with a first intensity in response to the presence of a first stressor; and a second promoter-reporter pair configured to fluoresce at a second wavelength with a second intensity in response to the presence of a second stressor.

[0126] A computer system can pair each selected reporter with a specific promoter to form a promoter-reporter pair configured to detect and signal the presence of a set of stressors. In one variant, the computer system can: select a first promoter associated with a first stressor, the first promoter being used to pair with a first reporter to form a first promoter-reporter pair; select a second promoter associated with a second stressor, the second promoter being used to pair with a second reporter to form a second promoter-reporter pair; and transgenic sensitive plants to include the first promoter-reporter pair and the second promoter-reporter pair, the sensitive plants being configured to signal the presence of the first and second stressors at the sensitive plant. For example, a computer system may: select a first promoter associated with disease stress and pair the first promoter with a first reporter to form a first promoter-reporter pair; select a second promoter associated with bacterial stress and pair the second promoter with a second reporter to form a second promoter-reporter pair; and transgenic sensitive plants to include the first promoter-reporter pair and the second promoter-reporter pair, the sensitive plants being configured to signal the presence of disease stress and bacterial stress at the sensitive plant.

[0127] The computer systems and methods described herein can be embodied and / or implemented, at least in part, as a machine configured to receive a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions. The instructions can be executed by a computer-executable component integrated with hardware / firmware / software components of an application, app, host, server, network, website, communication service, communication interface, user computer or mobile device, wristwatch, smartphone, or any suitable combination thereof. Other systems and methods of the embodiments can be embodied and / or implemented, at least in part, as a machine configured to receive a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions. The instructions can be executed by a computer-executable component integrated with a computer-executable component integrated with devices and networks of the types described above. The computer-readable medium can be on any suitable computer-readable medium, such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EEPROM, optical devices (CD or DVD), hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, or any suitable device. The computer-executable component can be a processor, but any suitable dedicated hardware device can (optionally or additionally) execute the instructions.

[0128] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art from the foregoing detailed description and from the drawings and claims, modifications and variations may be made to the embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for identifying stressors in crops based on fluorescence in sensitive plants, comprising: Access a set of spectral images of a sensitive plant seeded in a crop, the sensitive plant type comprising a set of promoters and a set of reporters, the set of promoters and the set of reporters being configured to signal a set of stressors present at the sensitive plant, the set of promoters and the set of reporters forming a set of promoter-reporter pairs; Access report submodel, which associates features extracted from a set of spectral images of the sensitive plant with a set of stressors based on signals generated from the set of promoter-reporter pairs in the sensitive plant type; as well as The first stressor in the set of stressors present at the sensitive plant is identified based on the report sub-model and features extracted from the set of spectral images.

2. The method according to claim 1: in, Accessing the set of spectral images of the sensitive plant includes: Access a first spectral image, which depicts a descending light spectrum and is captured at a first moment by a spectrometer defining a field of view facing the sensitive plant in the opposite direction; and Access the second spectral image, which depicts an upward light spectrum captured by the spectrometer at approximately the first time, defining a field of view facing the sensitive plant; and Accessing the report submodel includes accessing the report submodel that associates solar-induced fluorescence measurements extracted from downlink and uplink light spectra with the set of stressors in a type of sensitive plant; and Identifying the first stressor includes identifying the first stressor based on features of the report submodel and the set of spectral images.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, Identifying the first stressor includes: Extract the downward intensity at the wavelength associated with the Fraunhofer line from the downward optical spectrum; Extract the upward intensity at the wavelength associated with the Fraunhofer line from the upward optical spectrum; Calculate the difference between the uplink strength and the downlink strength; and In response to the difference exceeding a threshold difference, the first stressor present at the sensitive plant is identified.

4. The method according to claim 2: It also includes estimating a nominal upward light spectrum based on the downward light spectrum represented in the first spectral image, the nominal upward light spectrum representing the reflectance and fluorescence of the sensitive plant in the presence of light conforming to the downward light spectrum at the first time in the absence of the first stressor; in, Identifying the first stressor includes: Extract the first intensity at the first wavelength from the uplink light spectrum represented in the second spectral image; Extract the first nominal intensity at the first wavelength from the nominal uplink spectrum; Calculate the first deviation between the first intensity and the first nominal intensity at the first wavelength; and In response to the first deviation exceeding a threshold deviation, the presence of the first stressor is predicted at the sensitive plant.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, Predicting the presence of the first stressor at the sensitive plant also includes responding to the first deviation exceeding the threshold deviation: Extract the second intensity at the second wavelength from the uplink light spectrum represented in the second spectral image; Extract the second nominal intensity at the second wavelength from the nominal upward light spectrum; Calculate the second deviation between the second intensity at the second wavelength and the second nominal intensity; as well as In response to the second deviation exceeding the threshold deviation, the presence of the first stressor is predicted at the sensitive plant.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: Based on the first intensity and the second intensity, a first area under the curve of the upward light spectrum between the first wavelength and the second wavelength is extracted; Based on the first nominal intensity and the second nominal intensity, extract the nominal area below the curve of the nominal upward light spectrum between the first wavelength and the second wavelength; Calculate the difference between the first area and the nominal area; as well as The magnitude of the first stressor present at the sensitive plant is estimated based on the difference.

7. The method according to claim 5: in, Predicting the presence of the first stressor at the sensitive plant in response to the first deviation exceeding a threshold deviation further includes calculating a first confidence score based on the first deviation; as well as The method of predicting the presence of the first stressor at the sensitive plant in response to the second deviation exceeding a threshold deviation further includes calculating a second confidence score based on the first deviation and the second deviation, wherein the second confidence score is greater than the first confidence score.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: In response to the second deviation being lower than the threshold deviation, a third confidence score is calculated based on the first deviation and the second deviation, the third confidence score being less than the first confidence score; as well as In response to the third confidence score being lower than the threshold confidence score, it is predicted that the first stressor is not present at the sensitive plant.

9. The method according to claim 2: in, Accessing the second spectral image depicting the uplink spectrum includes accessing the second spectral image depicting the uplink spectrum comprising the sum of the reflected light spectrum and the fluorescence spectrum; It also includes extracting reporter fluorescence spectra from the uplink spectrum based on the uplink spectrum and the downlink spectrum; and The extraction of the reporter fluorescence spectrum includes: The reflected light spectrum is estimated based on the reflectance factor of the sensitive plant when light conforming to the downward light spectrum is present at the first time. The fluorescence spectrum is estimated based on a first difference between the upward light spectrum and the reflected light spectrum; and The fluorescence spectrum of the reporter is estimated as the fluorescence spectrum.

10. The method according to claim 9: in, Estimating the reporter fluorescence spectrum also includes: Access refers to the nominal fluorescence spectrum of fluorescence in the region of the sensitive plant in the absence of the first stressor, provided that light conforming to the downward light spectrum is present at the first time. Calculate the second difference between the fluorescence spectrum and the nominal fluorescence spectrum; and The reporter fluorescence spectrum of the sensitive plant is estimated based on the difference.

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