"Looking at Cornell's PhytoPatholoBot, it's not immediately obvious what the little robot is designed to do. With its low-riding base, grippy wheels, flashing lights and camera set-up, it looks like a mashup of WALL-E and a floor lamp."
"Phillip Lujan, plant pathologist, calls powdery mildew and downy mildew 'two of the most devastating diseases found in grapes.' Because even a small amount of mildew infection can render a grape crop completely unusable."
"A stressed plant in general is more susceptible to disease. A happy plant is well-fed, well-irrigated and can defend themselves from many of these diseases... if they're stressed out because of climate change, they’re less able to protect themselves."
"Part of the solution? Identifying and treating those diseases as early as possible...via robots."
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