Multispectral vs hyperspectral: what actually matters in protected growing?

At a glance

While hyperspectral systems will detect a myriad of issues, multispectral systems are more targeted. This tech doesn’t have the same range, but it has a higher resolution and detects signals much earlier, making multispectral imaging more suited to commercial growing environments.

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The boom in agri-tech has added a litany of new words to our daily conversations, and many growers are no strangers to high-tech solutions like multispectral and hyper-spectral systems, though there’s a persistent perception that the two are interchangeable.

While related, these are two different technologies (cousins, if you will) that are suited to different purposes. For growers assessing plant-level monitoring solutions, the distinction affects cost, processing speed, and operational fit, as well as what you can actually detect and how early it’s picked up.

What is hyperspectral imaging?

Hyper-spectral imaging records data across hundreds of contiguous (adjoining) wavelengths, capturing more colours in each pixel. That level of resolution allows users to analyse subtle biochemical changes within plant tissue, identify specific pathogens, and detect early physiological shifts.

If you want to collect hundreds of data points or differentiate between yellowish-brown and reddish-brown, this is the tech for you. But processing, storing, and interpreting hyperspectral datasets require significant CPU and number-crunching capabilities, and the hardware tends to be pricier as a result.

What is multispectral imaging?

Multispectral systems focus on a smaller number of wavelengths, targeting known bands associated with specific plant traits, like chlorophyll absorption, water content, and stress response. Instead of recording a continuous spectrum, the system zooms in on signals relevant to specific crop health and quality issues, looking at plants under fewer colours but at a much higher spatial resolution than hyperspectral. It’s a more targeted approach that allows us to spot small issues earlier, and keep the cost of equipment manageable.

What actually matters in growing environments

In protected environments, early signals often appear as changes in colour uniformity, canopy density, growth rate, or sugar development. Both hyperspectral and multispectral imaging can detect these shifts before they’re visible to human scouts.

In an experimental environment or situations when you need a complete view of complex biochemical markers, hyperspectral imaging is the better choice. But in growing environments, multispectral makes more sense since it can reliably detect common issues earlier than hyperspectral imaging.

Since they are more selective, multispectral systems are also far more efficient. They don’t generate huge datasets (focusing instead on collecting the information growers actually need) and have relatively low compute requirements, minimising the overheads associated with running an imaging system. In short, multispectral imaging is efficient, effective, and fast.

Fotenix multispectral imaging system

Fotenix uses AI-driven multispectral imaging to capture plant-level data overnight. Our system monitors traits including shape, colour, Brix, and consistency across the entire crop.

By combining targeted spectral bands with high spatial resolution, Fotenix is designed to pick up small, early-stage changes across large growing areas — not just analyse individual plants in isolation.

Each scan converts plant signals into structured insight within the Fotenix dashboard. Smart resourcing tools translate that insight into prioritised job lists, so teams can focus their efforts where they are most needed. This approach means issues can be identified when they are still small and contained, rather than once they are visible at scale.

In controlled environments, the Fotenix system has been shown to reduce time to detection by up to 80%.

To see how multispectral plant-level monitoring would integrate into your own protected growing system, book a demo today.

Contact the team