Currently running a Parrot Sequoia+ multispectral setup on my hex for crop monitoring, but considering upgrading to hyperspectral for better disease detection capabilities. The pricing difference is substantial (~$15k vs $45k), so trying to justify the ROI.

Specific question: For detecting early-stage fungal infections in wheat and corn, what's the practical detection advantage of hyperspectral over multispectral? Are we talking days earlier detection, or marginal improvements?

• Current setup catches issues at ~10% infection spread
• Need to improve to ~2-5% for preventive treatment economics

For fungal detection specifically, you're looking at maybe 3-5 days earlier detection with hyperspectral, but that's huge for treatment timing. The narrow band resolution lets you catch stress signatures before they're visible in broader multispectral bands.

Honestly, unless you're managing 500+ acres, the ROI isn't there yet. I'd stick with multispectral and invest in better flight planning software for more frequent monitoring passes. Detection frequency often matters more than sensor resolution.

The sweet spot might be hybrid sensors coming out now - more bands than traditional multispectral but not full hyperspectral complexity. Check out the new MicaSense offerings. Better detection than Sequoia at half the hyperspectral cost.