Plant Stress Eyeglasses Help Detect Crop Problems

Plant Stress Eyeglasses Help Detect Crop Problems CROPS Miscellaneous 22-2-6 You can detect early signs of plant stress before they become obvious to the naked eye with these new plant stress-detection glasses made by Spectrum Technologies, Plainfield, Ill. The purple lenses in the new "SpecWare" glasses were developed by NASA so aircraft pilots could evaluate ground vegetation. The company says that when insects, disease or other agents cause stress by reducing chlorophyll, the initial symptoms are not visible to the naked eye. As a result, often a plant's stress isn't visible until the damage is irreversible. The glasses enhance the stressed part of the leaf by filtering out certain wavelengths of light. They block the green color reflected from chlorophyll found in normal healthy vegetation, causing it to appear black or gray. In contrast, stressed areas will stand out as glowing red, coral, pink, or other hues. New plant growth will appear wine-colored as will anything that's pale green. White leaves will appear brilliant blue or white. Yellows, which can indicate mineral deficient leaves, appear to be coral colored. Browns, which can indicate burned leaf edges, appear deep red. The company recommends limiting use of the glasses to about 20 minutes at a time, until you adapt to the bright, neon colors that you see through the lenses. The glasses are available in sunglass or clip-on styles and sell for $49.50 plus $7.50 S&H. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Spectrum Technologies, Inc., 23839 West Andrew Road, Plainfield, Ill. 60544 (ph 800 248-8873 or 815 436-4440; fax 4460; E-mail: specmeters@aol.com).

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