Submitted to: Subtropical Agriculture and Environments
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/9/2016
Publication Date: 11/21/2016
Citation: Goolsby, J., Jung, J.A., Landivar, J., McCutcheon, W., Lacewell, R., Duhaime, R., Puhger, R., Baca, D., Hasel, H., Varner, K., Miller, B., Schwartz, A., Perez De Leon, A.A. 2016. Evaluation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for detection of cattle in the Cattle Fever Tick Permanent Quarantine Zone. Subtropical Agriculture and Environments. 67:24-27.

Interpretive Summary: Cattle fever ticks (CFT) Rhipicephalus (=Boophilus) microplus and Rhipicephalus annulatus are endemic in Mexico and invasive livestock pests in the Permanent Quarantine Zone (PQZ) of the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program located in South Texas along the U.S. – Mexico border. Acaricide resistance, alternate wildlife hosts, and pathogenic landscape forming weeds present challenges for sustainable eradication of these pests in the U.S. Increased surveillance of the cattle fever tick PQZ along the Rio Grande is needed to reduce incursion of infested cattle and wildlife from Mexico. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could be useful for USDA mounted inspectors in the PQZ. A UAV was used to capture videos of cattle in pastures at the USDA ARS Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory to determine the efficiency of this technology for use by mounted inspectors in the PQZ. These videos were shown to inspectors and on average 78% percent of the cattle were detected even in the thick brushy habitats that are characteristic of South Texas. Inspectors with more years of experience detected significantly more cattle than those with less experience. Age of the inspector was not a significant factor in detection of cattle in the videos. UAVs appear to be useful tool for detecting cattle and/or wildlife in the PQZ and could improve the efficiency and safety of inspectors working in this environment.

Technical Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle was used to capture videos of cattle in pastures to determine the efficiency of this technology for use by Mounted Inspectors in the Permanent Quarantine zone (PQZ) of the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program in south Texas along the U.S.-Mexico Border. These videos were shown to inspectors and on average 78% percent of the cattle were detected even in the thick brushy habitats that are characteristic of South Texas. Inspectors with more years of experience detected significantly more cattle than those with less experience. Age of the inspector was not a significant factor in detection of cattle in the videos. UAVs appear to be useful tool for detecting cattle and/or wildlife in the PQZ and could improve the efficiency and safety of inspectors working in this environment.