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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #136287

Title: USING A GIS TO ILLUSTRATE THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF ADULT CORN ROOTWORMS IN THE SOUTH DAKOTA AREAWIDE MANAGEMENT SITE

Author
item French, Bryan
item Chandler, Laurence - Larry
item Beckler, Amber
item Beck, David

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Regional Meetings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/2/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Northern and western corn rootworms (CRW) create economic and environmental concerns in the Corn Belt region of the United States. In order to supplement the population control tactics of the areawide program, we examined the spatial relationships between population densities and habitat structures, which can be used to find patterns in the landscape that promote high population density patches. We employed GIS to create visual displays and analyze spatial interactions with population densities and vegetation structure (field size, field type, and adjacent land use). Our analysis involves the interpretation of northern and western CRW spatial and temporal dynamics for the five-year period (1997-2001) in the South Dakota areawide management site. Because of the increase in corn-soybean crop rotation over this five-year period, western CRW populations substanially decreased compared to the northern CRW populations. The largest fields had the highest densities of northern and western CRW, except for the smaller fields that were adjacent to other cornfields. The homogeneous adjacent land use (corn-corn) is critical because of the increased dispersal between fields since the CRW do not have to cross a buffer or a non-corn/soybean field. Future analysis will include using statistical and modeling techniques coupled with sticky trap and dispersal data to reveal spatial and temporal patterns in the South Dakota areawide site. We can then develop a landscape-management strategy that targets the most susceptible areas within fields, which will substantially decrease future beetle populations. This will help eliminate unnecessary environmental contaminants and economic payouts by the producers.