Purdue university researchers are using spectroscopy to determine the various compounds that make up a plant, and through that information, identify disease and insect infestations before the plant shows any symptoms visible to the naked eye.Define cognitive learning in psychology graduate student raquel peron (shown at right taking the spectral profile of a leaf) has been developing the technique in the research group of purdue entomologist john couture, ph.D. Also shown are kristin sauder (left) and marguerite bolt, who are capturing the measurements and analyzing the data quality. (photo credit: taylor nelson)

define cognitive learning in psychology

Doctors try to catch illnesses early because they’re usually much easier to treat. The same holds true for farmers seeking the upper hand in fighting plant diseases and pest infestations, including population spikes in insects, such as the western corn rootworm ( diabrotica virgifera virgifera), that develop resistance to previously effective pest-control measures and can do considerable damage if not caught quickly.Define cognitive learning in psychology to that end, researchers at purdue university are developing a way to spot problems in plants before any visible symptoms appear, and they’re doing it with a modern twist on the age-old technique of spectroscopy.Define cognitive learning in psychology

The purdue researchers are using the standard spectroscopy approach: shine a light on a plant and break down the reflected light into its component wavelengths—collectively known as a spectral profile—which correspond to different molecules in the plant.Define cognitive learning in psychology instead of looking for minerals in rocks, which is how spectroscopy has been used traditionally, the researchers are looking for certain compounds or combinations of compounds that the plant begins producing as soon as it faces an insect attack, infection with a virus, or some other stressor, such as drought, according to purdue graduate student raquel peron, who has been developing applications for the technique in the research group of john couture, ph.D., assistant professor of entomology.Define cognitive learning in psychology peron presented the work at the annual meeting of the entomological society of america’s north central branch in march.

To do their work, the researchers meticulously gather spectral data from healthy and unhealthy plants and from the same plants before and after an insect or other stressor arrives.Define cognitive learning in psychology they then incorporate machine-learning algorithms and multivariate statistics to help figure out which collections of the compounds are related to which response.Define cognitive learning in psychology peron is currently developing and validating the models to match spectral data to plant responses.

As the modeling work continues, couture and his research group are taking on the challenge of mounting a spectral camera on a drone (also called an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV) so they can fly it over a field, quickly capture spectral profiles, and report to farmers about the state of their crops.Define cognitive learning in psychology it’s a rather tricky proposition, however, because only parts of the plants are visible from the air, and atmospheric water and other conditions can interfere with spectral collections.Define cognitive learning in psychology “the benefit of being at purdue, however, is we have an excellent engineering program and an aviation program, so we have those partnerships available,” couture says.Define cognitive learning in psychology

They have also begun corresponding spectral data to desirable traits, which would be useful in breeding programs. An example of a desirable trait might be a crop plant that produces just as much yield when it is water-stressed as it does when it is well watered.Define cognitive learning in psychology “the physiological functions that drive such yield stability are not really well-known, so if we can develop a rapid method of screening hundreds or even thousands of plant samples to find those with spectral data related to yield stability, we can start to breed for it,” couture says.Define cognitive learning in psychology

Couture also sees spectral profiles as a means to reduce pesticide use in fighting insect and other infestations. “once you can visually see symptoms, such as lesions, there are definitely management approaches you can take to mitigate further spread, and that includes pesticides and other chemicals.Define cognitive learning in psychology but if you can identify an issue before you see lesions, you have that much more of an opportunity to implement what are frequently less-harsh management strategies,” he says.Define cognitive learning in psychology “so, not only are we looking at enhancing the ability of growers and farm managers to manage more efficiently, but we’re also looking at decreasing chemical inputs as well.”

define cognitive learning in psychology

In addition, he says, spectral profiles could alert farmers that certain insects have developed resistance to a pest-control method. An example is the western corn rootworm, which farmers often control by planting bt corn, or corn that has been genetically modified with a toxin produced from a bacterium that inhibits the rootworms from feeding.Define cognitive learning in psychology rootworms, however, can develop resistance to the toxins. If growers are aware that this has happened, they can switch to other pest-management tactics.Define cognitive learning in psychology “spectral profiling really needs to be a part of a larger integrated pest management strategy. It’s a tool that can provide detection, but it’s the management decisions that follow that are going to be important,” he says.Define cognitive learning in psychology

Thinking about spectral profiling overall, couture says that its ability to detect problems early has the potential to lead to more efficient pest and disease management, promptly detect pest resistance, reduce chemical use, encourage non-chemical integrated pest management practices, and assist in breeding plants with desirable traits.Define cognitive learning in psychology he says, “it’s really food security in almost a holistic sense.”