Spectral Intelligence: AI-Driven Hyperspectral Imaging for Agricultural and Ecosystem Applications

Ensuring global food security amid mounting challenges, such as population growth, disease infestations, resource limitations, and climate change, is a pressing concern. Anticipated increases in food demand add further complexity to this critical issue. Plant pathogens, responsible for substantial crop losses (up to 41%) in major crops like wheat, rice, maize, soybean, and potato, exacerbate the situation. Timely disease detection is crucial, yet current practices often identify diseases at advanced stages, leading to severe infestations. To address this, remote sensing and Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) have emerged as robust and nondestructive techniques, exhibiting promising results in early disease identification. Integrating machine learning algorithms with image data sets enables precise spatial–temporal disease identification, facilitating timely detection, predictive modeling, and effective disease management without compromising fitness or climate adaptability. By harnessing these cutting-edge technologies and data-driven decision-making, growers can optimize input costs while achieving enhanced yields, making significant strides toward global food security in the face of climate change risks. This review will discuss some of the foundational concepts of remote sensing, several platforms used for remote sensing data collection, successful application of the approach, and its future perspective.