This $2.18 million Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) will fund research at Rutgers University from September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2027 to test the use of multispectral imaging technology for detecting cassava brown streak disease. The imaging technology will be deployed in agricultural fields in Tanzania to rapidly determine cassava plant infection status. Rutgers University will receive funding to assess the technology's performance in detecting the disease in field settings and comparing spectral data to other plant stresses. The project will measure disease spread in experimental fields and model spread to evaluate removing infected plants before transmission. Rutgers University will determine if the imaging approach can improve clean seed systems for controlling disease spread in East Africa. North Carolina State University will serve as a sub-awardee to contribute expertise to the collaboration between the United States and United Kingdom researchers.