Optical screening of Venturianashicola caused Pyruspyrifolia (Asian pear) scab using optical coherence tomography

The incidence of pathological infections in many fruit plantations is high and leads to a large portion of waste. Venturianashicola caused pear scab disease that infects almost all parts of the tree, foliage, flowers, and fruits. With the increasing interest in food security, non-destructive initial inspection methods have been focused, recently. It is well recognized that optical coherence tomography (OCT) is capable of revealing cross-sectional structures, which can be applied to diagnose plant diseases. Hence, optically screened morphological changes of pear scab infected Asian pear (Pyruspyrifolia) leaves and fruits were demonstrated using OCT. The results suggest that infected pear fruits and leaf samples can be precisely identified through the internal structural changes, and this may potentially apply for a better control of the spread of disease in plantations.