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Title: REMOTE SENSING AND SITE SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT OF COTTON PESTS IN EXPERIMENTALAND FARM FIELDS IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA

Author
item SUDBRINK, D - DREC
item HARRIS, F - DREC
item ENGLISH, P - DREC
item Hanks, James
item Willers, Jeffrey

Submitted to: Intnl Conference On Geospatial Information In Agriculture And Forestry
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/14/2001
Publication Date: 11/13/2001
Citation: Sudbrink, D.L., Harris, F.A., English, P.J., Hanks, J.E., Willers, J.L. 2001. Remote sensing and site specific management of cotton pests in experimental and farm fields in the mississippi delta. Intnl Conference On Geospatial Information In Agriculture And Forestry. CD-ROM.

Interpretive Summary: Abstract, not required.

Technical Abstract: Insect and mite pests frequently cause major crop losses in cotton and often require expensive whole-field applications of pesticides. Site specific management of insect pests has recently been successfully practiced at the farm level using remote sensing to direct variable rate insecticide applications. However, quantification of this method was required to better describe the underlying mechanisms. In 2000 and 2001, experimental and farm scale studies were conducted in the Mississippi Delta to evaluate and quantify the effectiveness of remote sensing and site- specific technologies for detection and control of cotton pests. Tarnished plant bugs occurred above threshold levels more frequently in vigorously growing cotton canopy than in canopy that grew more slowly. Vigorous and slower growing canopy areas were discernable with remotely sensed imagery and plant bugs were positively correlated with higher Normalized Difference eVegetation Index (NDVI) values. Prescription spray maps generated from imagery reduced insecticide application requirements by 20-50%. Plant maturity and cutout parameters were used on a site-specific basis to reduce pesticide applications for late season arthropods by 20-30%.