Hyperspectral Characterization of Coffee Leaf Miner (Leucoptera coffeella) (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) Infestation Levels: A Detailed Analysis

Abstract

Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world. However, it has been a challenge to manage the main pest affecting the plant’s foliar part, the Coffee Leaf Miner (CLM) Leucoptera coffeella (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae). To mitigate this, remote sensing has been employed to spectrally characterize various stresses on coffee trees. This study establishes the groundwork for efficient pest detection by investigating the spectral characteristics of CLM infestation at different levels. This research aims to characterize the spectral signature of leaves at different CLM levels of infestation and identify the optimal spectral regions for discriminating these levels. To achieve this, hyperspectral reflectance measurements were made of healthy and infested leaves, and the classes of infested leaves were grouped into minimally, moderately, and severely infested. As the infestation level rises, the 700 nm region becomes increasingly suitable for distinguishing between infestation levels, with the visible region also proving significant, particularly during severe infestations. Reflectance thresholds established in this study provide a foundation for agronomic references related to CLM. These findings lay the essential groundwork for enhancing monitoring and early detection systems and underscore the value of terrestrial hyperspectral data for developing sustainable pest management strategies in coffee crops.