New Tool Able to Detect Dicamba Drift Damage

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports an advancement in remote sensing that enables drones to detect and report soybean crop damage from dicamba herbicide drift, even at a one ten-thousandth rate. Soybeans that are sensitive to dicamba show symptoms from herbicide drift that worsen over time, and scientists say that now that they have a tool that recognizes what such damage looks like, they will be able to search for drift damage across the Midwest. Over time, they expect to broaden the capability of the tool to recognize drift damage to other species, as well, such as trees and shrubs. The research team says a better understanding of the extent of drift damage could help growers and policymakers better protect sensitive plants.